PHP 7.2 offers significant performance improvements over PHP 5.6 including 71% faster processing speed, support for asynchronous programming and multithreading, improved security with new password hashing and encryption extensions, and better compatibility with WordPress websites. A test of PHP 7.2 and 5.6 on WordPress sites found PHP 7.2 completed tasks in around half the time and processed twice as many requests per second. While PHP 5.6 is still widely used, the document recommends upgrading to PHP 7.2 for major performance and functionality benefits.

1. PHP 7.2 Vs PHP 5.6 - Facts you must know
It’s been almost a year since PHP 7 released. Early this year we received a new enhanced edition of PHP
7 i.e. PHP 7.2. After the debacle of PHP 6, developers and businesses find themselves a bit reluctant
about going for PHP 7. They wonder if it would be right to resort to PHP 5.6 instead.
Hence, we have decided to offer you a thorough analysis of the two versions PHP 7.2 and PHP 5.6. At
the same time, we would tell you why you must rely on PHP 7.2.
PHP 7.2
Let’s have a look at what new PHP 7.2 has got to offer.
● Speed improvement
● Argon2 in password hash
● Asynchronous programming
● Multithreading
● New Sodium extension
● Abstract syntax improvement
● Better performance on WordPress Websites
● Deprecation
PHP 5.6
How well has PHP 5.6 been serving its developers and customers? Let’s check out.
● Uploads of over 2 GB accepted
● Improved syntax of variadic functions
● Argument unpacking
● Increased requests per second
● POST data memory usage decreased
Why PHP 7.2 over PHP 5.6?
PHP 7.2 is said to be 2 times better than its older version 5.6. We are sure you are wondering why. Let’s
check out the below numbers that reinforce our statement.
● Over 71% Businesses admitted to adopting PHP 7.2 for their latest projects
● Nearly 65% PHP Developers are already using PHP 7.2
● Only 4% PHP Developers confessed that they are using PHP 7.2 because their hosting company
is
● According to a recent study by Forbes, PHP 7.2 offers 1.8 times increase in performance to PHP
5.6
If you are still not quite convinced why you should use PHP 7.2, we would like to show you test results
that depict the performance of both.
PHP 7.2 Vs PHP 5.6 - a test of performance

2. We conducted a test on 2 WordPress-based websites that run on PHP 7.2 and PHP 5.6 respectively. The
performance of both was tested using Apache Benchmark Tool.
Performance tested PHP 7.2 PHP 5.6
Time taken 22.95 second 46 second
Requests/ second 44.1 r/s 22 r/s
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15ZZOnLnygYDe8BBgPO6bY8QgCZM69-
nPBnbOzUk0n6s/edit#gid=0
Now that you have an idea of both the versions, we present you a comparison of the features. This
should help you take the final leap.
Features PHP 7.2 PHP 5.6
Code compilation Made on the go Not continuous
Multithreading Yes No
Performance comparison 1.8X X
Let’s have a detailed look at all the above-mentioned points.
Code compilation
Every programming language is an easy way to communicate with the hardware. Hence, they all are
compiled into a binary code. So is PHP. However, what makes PHP 7.2 different from others is the ‘Just
in Time’ engine. This is called Dynamic Translation. The compilation is made on the go. In addition, it
speeds up components. This, in turn, improves the speed and performance of every Web App.
Multithreading
PHP 7.2 can perform several tasks simultaneously. This makes the Web Apps perform faster. You can
easily fetch data from a database while your code performs another task.

3. Syntax Improvement
The syntax improvement which comes with PHP 7.2 has made the programmers’ lives a lot easier. This
saves ample development time. It, in turn, results in cost optimization of your project.
Bottom Line
A study by Forbes suggests that over 75% PHP developers are willing to turn to PHP 7.2. Also, by the end
of 2017, more than 80% of web servers had used PHP. The numbers are expected to increase more by
the end of 2019 as a result of this latest stable version of PHP i.e. PHP 7.2.
How can Green Apex help you?
Green Apex developers boast the experience to help you build PHP-based Web Applications that are
highly optimized for best performance. Businesses can only make the most of PHP 7.2 with the help of
adept and trained Developers. We let you hire the best of our in-house PHP Experts, thus getting your
Business to new heights.
Thus, with over 5 years of experience, 100 plus happy customers, and more than 50 developers, Green
Apex Technolabs gives your vision a reality. It lets you hire its top-notch developers with expertise
across various platforms and technologies including Android App Development, iPhone App
Development, Cross-Platform App Development, Java, PHP, AngularJS, NodeJS, ReactJS, UI/UX
designing, WordPress Development, QA/Manual/Automation Testing and many more. Visit our
website or get in touch to know more.