--- title: "How Autoload made PHP elegant" url: https://daily.dev/posts/how-autoload-made-php-elegant-xtiz5dwcm source_url: https://blog.devgenius.io/how-autoload-made-php-elegant-f1f53981804e type: article source: "Dev Genius" published: 2024-12-09T19:12:58.371Z updated: 2024-12-09T19:13:11.488Z tags: ["php"] reading_time: 4 upvotes: 104 comments: 12 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How Autoload made PHP elegant **[Dev Genius](https://daily.dev/sources/devgenius)** · 4 min read · 104 upvotes · 12 comments ## Summary The autoloading mechanism has significantly streamlined PHP development by dynamically loading files as needed, thereby reducing clutter and enhancing efficiency. Before PHP 5.3, developers had to manually include files using require and include, leading to disorganized code and class name conflicts. The introduction of namespaces in PHP 5.3 and tools like Composer further advanced modularity and organization. Composer automatically generates autoloaders, supporting PSR-4, Classmap, and Files autoloading methods. Additionally, manual autoloading can be set up using spl_autoload_register for customized scenarios. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@sam7work** · 5 upvotes > Php is fast, since versions 7.1 seven times faster than before, also, with php-fpm the code gets compiled once , and now with php 8.3-4 a new jit is available, plus, i love the php plush elephants, they are so cute ... **@wpspeeddoctor** · 2 upvotes > The major issue with the composer is the performance. Requiring files during the runtime is much slower than when compiled into OPcache and then you can't separate useless code depending on request type, so you're loading all back-end code for the front-end for example. The whole idea is nice, but it greatly impacts the overall image of PHP as it is slow. **@sveneld** · 1 upvotes > use preloading and you will get a boost **@bullit2k** · 1 upvotes > Simple reminder of how we got here ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Don’t just attend KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon, Merge Forward your experience\!](https://daily.dev/posts/don-t-just-attend-kubecon-cloudnativecon-merge-forward-your-experience--l0rpp73x8) · CNCF · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Announcing H2 2026 KCDs](https://daily.dev/posts/announcing-h2-2026-kcds-m96goajm1) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Two months of Open Community Groups](https://daily.dev/posts/two-months-of-open-community-groups-asf52zhbs) · CNCF · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [CNCF Unveils Schedule for KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon Europe 2026](https://daily.dev/posts/cncf-unveils-schedule-for-kubecon-cloudnativecon-europe-2026-ikhcoa5cb) · CNCF · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [CNCF Debuts KubeCon \+ CloudNativeCon Japan 2026 Schedule](https://daily.dev/posts/cncf-debuts-kubecon-cloudnativecon-japan-2026-schedule-xp5pyudub) · CNCF · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#php](https://daily.dev/tags/php) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-autoload-made-php-elegant-xtiz5dwcm)