php - Differences between copy, rename and move_uploaded_file

php file-upload upload move file-rename
thomas picture thomas · Oct 13, 2010 · Viewed 10.5k times · Source

Are there differences when I use that functions? Why should I use one instead of the other one...

Answer

Michael Borgwardt picture Michael Borgwardt · Oct 13, 2010
  • copy() copies the file - you now have 2 files, and for large files, this can take very long
  • rename() changes the file's name, which can mean moving it between directories.
  • move_uploaded_file() is basically the same as rename(), but it will only work on files that have been uploaded via PHP's upload mechanism. This is a security feature that prevents users from tricking your script into showing them security-relevant data.

In the future, I suggest looking up such information in the PHP Manual yourself.

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