Question

What’s the difference between ++$i and $i++ in PHP?

Answer 1

++$i is pre-increment whilst $i++ post-increment.

• pre-increment: increment variable i first and then de-reference.
• post-increment: de-reference and then increment i

“Take advantage of the fact that PHP
allows you to post-increment ($i++)
and pre-increment (++$i). The meaning
is the same as long as you are not
writing anything like $j = $i++,
however pre-incrementing is almost 10%
faster, which means that you should
switch from post- to pre-incrementing
when you have the opportunity,
especially in tight loops and
especially if you’re pedantic about
micro-optimisations!”
– TuxRadar

For further clarification, post-incrementation in PHP has been documented as storing a temporary variable which attributes to this 10% overhead vs. pre-incrementation.