The php Function Socket_Create

The php function socket_create is one of the functions that allow you to bring the functionalities of the socket programming in your program. This function is concerned with the creation of a socket that works as the end point of the communication process.

This function takes a socket specification as first argument in the same format as it is used by stream_socket_client(), and an integer value as second argument representing the maximum backlog size in seconds to be accepted for incoming connections. It creates a new Socket instance and sets it to listen on all interfaces for incoming connections. It also sets the socket to close once the backlog is filled.

If you want to make a socket that only listens on a particular interface, you should use socket_create_listen() instead.

In PHP 8.0 and later, this function returns a Socket instance now (as opposed to resource in previous versions), as well as an array of AddressInfo class objects. This is in line with the Curl extension using CurlHandle objects instead of resources, and the GD extension returning an array of GdImage class objects rather than gd resources.

Note that this function is EXPERIMENTAL. This means that its behaviour, name and anything else documented about it may change in a future release of PHP without notice. Therefore, it is recommended that you only use this function if you understand the risks involved and can accept them. If you do decide to use it, you should test it carefully with real data before using it in production.