PHP var_sizeof()
The library provides functions to
get the size of any PHP variable in bytes
It should be a more accurate tool for calculating the total size of a PHP variable than memory_get_usage()
, but it has limitations.
How it works
The var_sizeof()
and var_class_sizeof()
functions use FFI to access the internal structures of PHP variables.
They calculate the size of internal structures like zval
, _zend_array
, _zend_object
, etc., along with any additional allocated memory for these
structures.
However, they do not account for the memory used by handlers, functions, or similar components.
Requirements
- PHP >= 7.4 (with FFI)
- Linux(x86_64/aarch64) / Darwin(x86_64/arm64)
Usage
composer require mrsuh/php-var-sizeof
<?php
require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
$int = 1;
printf("variable \$int size: %d bytes\n", var_sizeof($int));
$array = array_fill(0, 100, $a);
printf("variable \$array size: %d bytes\n", var_sizeof($array));
$object = new \stdClass();
printf("variable \$object size: %d bytes\n", var_sizeof($object));
printf("class \$object size: %d bytes\n", var_class_sizeof($object));
var_sizeof vs memory_get_usage
PHP 8.1.2 Linux(x86_64)
type | var_sizeof(bytes) | memory_get_usage(bytes) |
---|---|---|
NULL | 16 | 0 |
boolean(true) | 16 | 0 |
integer(1) | 16 | 0 |
double(1.5) | 16 | 0 |
string("hello world") | 27 | 40 |
resource | 48 | 416 |
callable | 72 | 384 |
array(count: 0, list: true) | 336 | 0 |
array(count: 100, list: true) | 2,128 | 8,248 |
array(count: 1,000, list: true) | 16,464 | 36,920 |
array(count: 10,000, list: true) | 262,224 | 528,440 |
array(count: 100, list: false) | 5,192 | 8,248 |
array(count: 1,000, list: false) | 41,032 | 41,016 |
array(count: 10,000, list: false) | 655,432 | 655,416 |
EmptyClass{} | 72 | 40 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 0, list: true)"} | 408 | 56 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 100, list: true)"} | 2,200 | 8,304 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 1,000, list: true)"} | 16,536 | 36,976 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 10,000, list: true)"} | 262,296 | 528,496 |
ClassWithObject{"EmptyClass{}"} | 144 | 96 |
ArrayIterator{"array(count: 100, list: true)"} | 2,264 | 8,376 |
ArrayIterator{"array(count: 100, list: false)"} | 5,328 | 40,376 |
type | var_class_sizeof(bytes) | var_sizeof(bytes) | memory_get_usage(bytes) |
---|---|---|---|
EmptyClass{} | 1,362 | 72 | 40 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 0, list: true)"} | 1,494 | 408 | 56 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 100, list: true)"} | 1,494 | 2,200 | 8,304 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 1,000, list: true)"} | 1,494 | 16,536 | 36,976 |
ClassWithArray{"array(count: 10,000, list: true)"} | 1,494 | 262,296 | 528,496 |
ClassWithObject{"EmptyClass{}"} | 1,495 | 144 | 96 |
ArrayIterator{"array(count: 100, list: true)"} | 2,437 | 2,264 | 8,376 |
ArrayIterator{"array(count: 100, list: false)"} | 2,437 | 5,328 | 40,376 |
Limitations
- Works correctly only with userland objects and SPL \ArrayIterator
- Does not handle complex structures like extensions, resources, callables, or functions accurately
- To calculate the total size of an object, you need to use both
var_sizeof()
andvar_class_sizeof()