PHP MySQLi mysqli_ping() - Connection Check

mysqli_ping()

The mysqli_ping() function pings the server connection to check if it is working. If the connection has been lost and the automatic reconnect option is enabled, the function attempts to reconnect.

EXAMPLE

<?php
$server = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$database = "mysqli_database";

$connection = mysqli_connect($server, $username, $password, $database);

if (mysqli_connect_errno()) {
    echo "Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error();
    exit();
}

// Check if the server is still responsive and ready
// NOTE: The mysqli_ping() function sends a quick test packet to the database. 
// If the server is running, the function returns true and prints the message below. 
// If the connection had timed out in the meantime, it would return false, 
// allowing us to prevent the application from crashing.
if (mysqli_ping($connection)) {
    echo "Connection is established and active!";
} else {
    echo "Error: " . mysqli_error($connection);
}

mysqli_close($connection);
?>

RESULT

The result will be displayed here...

Practical use: This function is extremely useful for long-running scripts (e.g., importing large files or periodic tasks). It ensures that execution does not stop due to a connection timeout.

It returns TRUE if the connection is active and working.

It returns FALSE if the server is unreachable.

It can trigger an automatic reconnection, depending on the server settings.