How to Download file from URL using PHP

In this tutorial, we are going to see how to download file from URL using PHP. There are several approaches to download a file from a URL. Some of them are described below:
 

Using file_get_contents() function:

file_get_contents() function is used to read a file into a string. This feature uses memory mapping techniques supported by the server and thus improves performance, making it a preferred way to read the contents of a file.

<?php 
	$url = 'https://stackhowto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-stackhowto.png'; 
	  
	// Use the basename function to return the name of the file.
	$file_name = basename($url); 
	   
	/* Use file_get_contents() function to get the file from the url and 
	   use file_put_contents() function to save the file */
	if(file_put_contents( $file,file_get_contents($url))) { 
		echo "File downloaded successfully."; 
	} 
	else { 
		echo "File download failed."; 
	}
?>

Output:

File downloaded successfully.

 

 

Using PHP Curl:

<?php 
	$url = 'https://stackhowto.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-stackhowto.png'; 
	  
	// Initialize the cURL session
	$session = curl_init($url); 
	  
	// Initialize the directory name where the file will be saved
	$dir = './'; 
	  
	$file_name = basename($url); 
	  
	// Save file
	$save = $dir . $file; 
	  
	// Open file
	$file = fopen($save, 'wb'); 
	  
	// defines the options for the transfer
	curl_setopt($session, CURLOPT_FILE, $file); 
	curl_setopt($session, CURLOPT_HEADER, 0); 
	  
	curl_exec($session); 
	  
	curl_close($session); 
	  
	fclose($file); 
?>

MCQPractice competitive and technical Multiple Choice Questions and Answers (MCQs) with simple and logical explanations to prepare for tests and interviews.Read More