Performance: PHP mails Vs. MySQL INSERT

renieravin

Hi, I have a question on performance... I have a php page that when updated by a user, sends out an email to all the users subscribed to that page. Right now, I am looping through the subscribers and sending out the emails. The subscriber count can go up to a hundred or more.

Should I stick with this, or do a multiple record insert into MySQL and then run a periodic cron to send the mails out? Which method would work faster for the users using this page? 😕

Weedpacket

The latter, because then they wouldn't have to wait for the emails to be sent out.
You might also want to look at some of the SMTP classes that are around, so that you can send one email to multiple recipients.

dagon

I would send the mail sending to a background task

renieravin

Hey thanks..! Will an SMTP class work if every email is custom? As in "Dear Name", and so on?

renieravin

Dagon, could you clarify what you mean by background task? Do you mean a cron or something else I'm not aware of?

Weedpacket

No, because if you're going to send the same email to multiple recipients you have to send the same email to multiple recipients.

dagon

renieravin;10925804 wrote:
Dagon, could you clarify what you mean by background task? Do you mean a cron or something else I'm not aware of?

exec('nohup php file_to_send_email.php');

that will send the mail while the rest of the script keeps going and no one has to wait.

renieravin

Nice! Thank you dagon, I had no idea that option existed. Much appreciated. :-)