Difference between array_push() and $array[] =

Question

In the PHP manual, (array_push) says..

If you use array_push() to add one element to the array it\'s better to use $array[]

Answer 1

array_push — Push one or more elements onto the end of array

Take note of the words "one or more elements onto the end" to do that using $arr[] you would have to get the max size of the array

Answer 2

You can add more than 1 element in one shot to array using array_push,

e.g. array_push($array_name, $element1, $element2,...)

Where $element1, $element2,... are elements to be added to array.

But if you want to add only one element at one time, then other method (i.e. using $array_name[]) should be preferred.

Answer 3

When you call a function in PHP (such as array_push()), there are overheads to the call, as PHP has to look up the function reference, find its position in memory and execute whatever code it defines.

Using $arr[] = 'some value'; does not require a function call, and implements the addition straight into the data structure. Thus, when adding a lot of data it is a lot quicker and resource-efficient to use $arr[].