How Can I Efficiently Count Database Rows in PHP Without Retrieving All Data?

Counting Rows Efficiently with SELECT COUNT(*)

Instead of retrieving all rows from a table to determine the count, you can optimize the query by using SELECT COUNT(*). This query returns the number of rows without fetching the data.

To access the count value in PHP using this approach, you can't use the num_rows() method. Instead, use the following steps:

1. Execute the SELECT COUNT(*) as cnt query.
2. Get the result of the query as an object using fetch_object().
3. Access the value of the cnt property of the object.

Here's an example:

$count = $mysqli->query("select count(*) as cnt from cars")->fetch_object()->cnt;

This code assigns the count value to the $count variable without fetching the actual data rows. By using this method, you improve query performance and reduce resource usage.

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