Monitoring Php Memory Usage: A Comprehensive Guide

how to monitor php memory usage

Monitoring memory usage in PHP is important to prevent memory leaks, which can slow down applications, cause crashes, and increase costs. PHP has built-in functions to track memory usage, such as memory_get_usage() and memory_get_peak_usage(). These functions allow developers to monitor the amount of memory allocated to their PHP scripts and identify potential memory-related issues. By understanding memory usage, developers can optimise their code, improve performance, and prevent crashes.

Characteristics Values
Function to monitor memory usage memory_get_usage()
Function to monitor peak memory usage memory_get_peak_usage()
Function to monitor memory usage in KB or MB memory_get_usage()/1024 for KB, memory_get_usage()/1048576 for MB
Return value type int
Parameter bool $real_usage
Default value false
Return value when $real_usage is true Total memory allocated from the system, including unused pages
Return value when $real_usage is false Only the used memory is reported
Use case for $real_usage is true Monitoring the memory used by the Zend Engine memory manager and the PHP process
Use case for $real_usage is false Monitoring the memory used to run the script
Tool for tracking memory usage LogSnag

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memory_get_usage() function

The `memory_get_usage()` function in PHP is used to track memory usage and can be used to return both real and actual memory usage depending on the requirement. It returns the amount of memory, in bytes, that is currently being allocated to the PHP script.

The function takes a boolean parameter, `$real_usage`, which defaults to `FALSE`. When set to TRUE, it returns the total memory allocated from the system, including unused pages. If set to FALSE or left unset, it only reports the used memory.

Php

// This is only an example, the numbers below will differ depending on your system

Echo memory_get_usage() . "\n"; // 36640

$a = str_repeat("Hello", 4242);

Echo memory_get_usage() . "\n"; // 57960

Unset($a);

Echo memory_get_usage() . "\n"; // 36744

?>

In this example, the memory usage is checked before and after assigning a value to the variable `$a`, demonstrating how the memory usage changes.

The `memory_get_usage()` function is useful for tracking memory leaks and overall memory usage, especially when deploying PHP applications to the cloud, where memory usage can impact performance, cause crashes, or increase costs. By monitoring memory usage and setting up a system to track when usage goes above a certain threshold, developers can take immediate action to fix any issues before they become significant problems.

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memory_get_peak_usage() function

The `memory_get_peak_usage()` function is used to retrieve the highest memory usage of PHP or your running script. It returns the peak memory, in bytes, allocated to your PHP script.

The function takes a boolean parameter, `$real_usage`, which is optional and defaults to `false`. When set to `true`, it returns the real size of memory allocated from the system. If not set or set to `false`, only the memory used by `emalloc()` is reported.

Php

$peakMemory = memory_get_peak_usage(true); echo "Peak memory usage:" . $peakMemory . "bytes";

In this example, the `memory_get_peak_usage()` function is called with `true` as the argument, which will return the real size of memory allocated from the system. The peak memory usage is then stored in the `$peakMemory` variable and displayed using the `echo` statement.

It is important to note that the `memory_get_peak_usage()` function only returns the peak memory usage for the current PHP script. If you need to track the overall memory usage of the entire system, you can use other functions or methods, such as the `getServerMemoryUsage()` function mentioned in the PHP documentation.

Additionally, PHP 8.2 introduces the `memory_reset_peak_usage()` function, which allows you to reset the peak memory usage returned by `memory_get_peak_usage()`. This can be useful in applications that invoke or iterate an action multiple times and need to record the peak memory usage of each invocation.

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memory_get_usage() vs memory_get_peak_usage()

PHP has its own memory-testing functions, namely memory_get_usage() and memory_get_peak_usage(). These functions can be used to track memory usage and monitor memory leaks.

The memory_get_usage() function returns both the real and actual memory used, depending on the user's requirements. It can be used to track the memory required by the engine from the OS (the real usage) and the amount of memory actually used by the application (internal usage).

On the other hand, memory_get_peak_usage() returns the peak of memory allocated by PHP in bytes. By setting this function to true, users can obtain the real size of memory allocated from the system. If not set or false, only the memory used by emalloc() is reported.

The difference between the two functions lies in the type of memory usage they track. Memory_get_usage() monitors the current memory usage, which can be useful for specific code snippets or global tracking. In contrast, memory_get_peak_usage() captures the highest memory usage, allowing users to identify potential memory leaks and take immediate action.

For example, consider a scenario where a PHP application is deployed to the cloud as a serverless function. Memory usage can become a significant issue, slowing down the application, causing crashes, or increasing costs. By using memory_get_peak_usage() and setting up a system to track when memory usage exceeds a certain threshold, developers can ensure the optimal performance of their application.

In conclusion, both memory_get_usage() and memory_get_peak_usage() are valuable tools for monitoring memory usage in PHP applications. While memory_get_usage() provides insights into current memory allocation, memory_get_peak_usage() helps identify peak memory consumption, enabling developers to address potential issues proactively.

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LogSnag for SaaS

LogSnag is a powerful event tracking tool that works seamlessly with PHP applications. It is a great solution for Software as a Service (SaaS) providers who want to monitor their PHP application's memory usage and performance. SaaS is a software delivery model where software is hosted and managed by a third-party vendor and made available to users over the internet. PHP is a popular programming language for developing SaaS applications due to its maturity, stability, and large community support.

One common issue faced by PHP applications is memory leaks and overall memory usage. This can be a significant problem when deploying applications to the cloud, as it can slow down the application, cause crashes, or increase costs. LogSnag helps address this issue by providing real-time event tracking and allowing you to set up rules to notify your team when memory usage goes above a certain threshold. By integrating LogSnag with your PHP application, you can always stay on top of its performance and take immediate action if needed.

To integrate LogSnag with your PHP application, simply sign up for a free LogSnag account, create your first project, and copy your API token from the settings. You can then use the provided code snippets to track memory usage, replacing "YOUR_API_TOKEN" with your token and updating the project and channel names accordingly.

LogSnag offers a generous free plan to get started with event tracking, and there are also paid plans available if needed. With its powerful features, including cross-platform push notifications, user and product journeys, and charts and analytics, LogSnag is a valuable tool for SaaS providers to ensure the optimal performance of their PHP applications.

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memory_get_usage() in KB or MB

The memory_get_usage() function can be used to track the memory usage of a PHP script. It returns the amount of memory, in bytes, that is currently being allocated to the script. However, if you want to get the memory usage in kilobytes or megabytes, you can use the following code:

Php

Function convert($size) {

$unit = array('b', 'kb', 'mb', 'gb', 'tb', 'pb'); return @round($size / pow(1024, ($i = floor(log($size, 1024)))), 2) . ' ' .$unit[$i];

}

Echo convert(memory_get_usage(true)); // e.g. 123 kb

?>

The convert() function takes the memory size in bytes and returns a human-readable string with the appropriate unit (kilobytes, megabytes, etc.). The log() function is used to determine the base-2 logarithm of the memory size, which helps identify the correct unit. The pow() function is then used to raise 1024 to the power of the logarithm, resulting in the scaling factor needed to convert bytes to the appropriate unit. Finally, the value is rounded to two decimal places for precision.

Alternatively, you can use the following code snippet to display the memory usage in kilobytes or megabytes:

Php

Function echo_memory_usage() {

$mem_usage = memory_get_usage(true); if ($mem_usage < 1024) {

Echo $mem_usage . " bytes"; } elseif ($mem_usage < 1048576) {

Echo round($mem_usage / 1024, 2) . " kilobytes";

} else {

Echo round($mem_usage / 1048576, 2) . " megabytes";

}

Echo "
";

}

?>

This code checks the memory usage and then uses conditional statements to display the appropriate unit. If the memory usage is less than 1024 bytes, it displays the value in bytes. If it's between 1024 bytes and 1048576 bytes (1 megabyte), it divides the value by 1024 and displays it in kilobytes. For values larger than 1 megabyte, it divides the value by 1048576 and displays it in megabytes.

Frequently asked questions

PHP memory usage refers to the amount of memory that is allocated to a PHP script. It is important to monitor this as high memory consumption can lead to crashes, bugs, and even Denial-of-Service attacks.

PHP has built-in functions to monitor memory usage: memory_get_usage() and memory_get_peak_usage(). The first function returns the amount of memory allocated to the PHP script, while the latter returns the maximum memory used by the script.

The memory usage values are returned in bytes. To convert to KB, divide by 1024, and to convert to MB, divide by 1048576.

You can use a database or log file to document memory usage over time, especially if memory problems occur under specific circumstances. You can also set up notifications to alert you when memory usage exceeds a certain threshold.

You can use the ini_set() function to set a memory limit for PHP. For example, to set a limit of 512MB, you would use: ini_set('memory_limit','512M').

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