Question

Should I use php PDO or normal mysql_connect to execute database queries in PHP?

Which one is faster?

One of the big benefits of PDO is that the interface is consistent across multiple databases.
There are some cool functions for prepared statements too, which take some of the hassle out of escaping all your query strings. The portability of PDO is greater than mysql_connect.

So, should I use PDO for those reasons or stick to the traditional mysql_connect?

Answer 1

PDO is a bit slower than the mysql_*
But it has great portability. PDO provides single interface across multiple databases. That means you can use multiple DB without using mysql_query for mysql, mssql_query for MS sql etc. Just use something like $db->query(“INSERT INTO…”) always. No matter what DB driver you are using.

So, for larger or portable project PDO is preferable. Even zend framework use PDO.