php-pcntlHow to use pcntl_fork in PHP?

PCNTL stands for Process Control, and is a library of functions for PHP that allow you to create and manage processes. The pcntl_fork() function is used to create a new process from the current process.

<?php
$pid = pcntl_fork();

if ($pid == -1) {
    die('could not fork');
} else if ($pid) {
    // parent process
    pcntl_wait($status); //Protect against Zombie children
} else {
    // child process
    echo "I'm a child process!";
    exit();
}

Output example

I'm a child process!

Code explanation

• pcntl_fork(): creates a new process from the current process
• if ($pid == -1): checks if the process was created successfully
• else if ($pid): executes the parent process
• else: executes the child process
• pcntl_wait($status): protects against Zombie children

Helpful links

• PHP: pcntl_fork - Manual
• PHP: pcntl_wait - Manual

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