Include vs Require in PHP

Include and Require are both PHP statements used to include and evaluate external PHP files in the current script. The main difference between them is how they handle errors.

Include Statement

The include statement includes and evaluates the specified file but continues to execute the script even if the file is not found or fails to load. It will only generate a warning message if the file is not included.

Require Statement

The require statement also includes and evaluates the specified file, but it stops the script execution and generates a fatal error if the file is not found or fails to load. This means that the script will not continue to run if the required file is missing.

It is recommended to use require statement if you want the script to stop if the specified file is not found, while include statement can be used for optional files that are not critical for the script to continue running.