exit

    (PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8)

    exit — Terminate the current script with a status code or message

    Description

    exit(string|int $status = 0): never

    Terminates execution of the script. Shutdown functions and object destructors will always be executed even if exit() is called. However, finally blocks are never executed.

    An exit code of 0 is used to indicate that the program succeeded in its tasks. Any other value indicates some sort of error occurred during execution.

    exit() is a special function, because it has a dedicated token in the parser, as such it can be used like a statement (i.e. without parentheses) to terminate the script with the default status code.

    Caution

    It is not possible to disable, or create a namespaced function shadowing the global exit() function.

    Parameters

    status
    If status is a string, this function prints the status just before exiting. The exit code returned by PHP is 0.

    If status is an int, the exit code returned by PHP will be status.

    Note: Exit codes should be in the range 0 to 254, the exit code 255 is reserved by PHP and should not be used.

    Warning

    Prior to PHP 8.4.0, exit() did not follow PHP's standard type juggling semantics, nor respect the strict_types declare.

    Any value not of type int was cast to string including resource and array values. As of PHP 8.4.0, it follows the usual type juggling semantics and throws a TypeError on invalid values.

    Return Values

    As this terminates the PHP script, no value is returned.

    Changelog

    Version Description
    8.4.0 exit() is now a proper function, therefore it follows the usual type juggling semantics is affected by the strict_types declare, can be called with named arguments, and be a variable functions.

    Examples

    Example #1 Basic exit() example

    <?php

    // exit program normally
    exit();
    exit(    0);

    // exit with an error code
    exit(1);

    ?>

    Example #2 exit() example with a string

    <?php

    $filename     = '/path/to/data-file';
    $file = fopen($filename, 'r')
    or exit(    "unable to open file ($filename)");

    ?>

    Example #3 Shutdown functions and destructors run regardless

    <?php
    class Foo
    {
    public function     __destruct()
    {
    echo     'Destruct: ' . __METHOD__ . '()' . PHP_EOL;
    }
    }

    function     shutdown()
    {
    echo     'Shutdown: ' . __FUNCTION__ . '()' . PHP_EOL;
    }

    $foo = new Foo();
    register_shutdown_function('shutdown');

    exit();
    echo     'This will not be output.';
    ?>

    The above example will output:

    Shutdown: shutdown()
Destruct: Foo::__destruct()

    Example #4 exit() as a statement

    <?php

    // exit program normally with exit code 0
    exit;

    ?>

    Notes

    Warning

    Prior to PHP 8.4.0, exit() was a language construct and not a function, therefore it was not possible to call it using variable functions, or named arguments.

    See Also

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    User Contributed Notes 14 notes

    up
    38
    dexen dot devries at gmail dot com
    14 years ago
    If you want to avoid calling exit() in FastCGI as per the comments below, but really, positively want to exit cleanly from nested function call or include, consider doing it the Python way:

    define an exception named `SystemExit', throw it instead of calling exit() and catch it in index.php with an empty handler to finish script execution cleanly.

    <?php

    // file: index.php
    class SystemExit extends Exception {}
    try {
    /* code code */
    }
    catch (    SystemExit $e) { /* do nothing */ }
    // end of file: index.php

    // some deeply nested function or .php file

    if (SOME_EXIT_CONDITION)
    throw new     SystemExit(); // instead of exit()

    ?>
    up
    35
    albert at removethis dot peschar dot net
    15 years ago
    jbezorg at gmail proposed the following:

    <?php

    if($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] == __FILE__ )
    header('Location: /');

    ?>

    After sending the `Location:' header PHP _will_ continue parsing, and all code below the header() call will still be executed. So instead use:

    <?php

    if($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'] == __FILE__)
    {
    header('Location: /');
    exit;
    }

    ?>
    up
    18
    theonenkl at gmail dot com
    9 years ago
    A side-note for the use of exit with finally: if you exit somewhere in a try block, the finally won't be executed. Could not sound obvious: for instance in Java you never issue an exit, at least a return in your controller; in PHP instead you could find yourself exiting from a controller method (e.g. in case you issue a redirect).

    Here follows the POC:

    <?php
    echo "testing finally wit exit\n";

    try {
    echo     "In try, exiting\n";

    exit;
    } catch(    Exception $e) {
    echo     "catched\n";
    } finally {
    echo     "in finally\n";
    }

    echo     "In the end\n";
    ?>

    This will print:

    testing finally wit exit
    In try, exiting
    up
    2
    tianyiw at vip dot qq dot com
    2 years ago
    These are the standard error codes in Linux or UNIX.

    1 - Catchall for general errors
    2 - Misuse of shell builtins (according to Bash documentation)
    126 - Command invoked cannot execute
    127 - “command not found”
    128 - Invalid argument to exit
    128+n - Fatal error signal “n”
    130 - Script terminated by Control-C
    255\* - Exit status out of range
    up
    11
    vincent dot laag at gmail dot com
    14 years ago
    Don't use the exit() function in the auto prepend file with fastcgi (linux/bsd os).
    It has the effect of leaving opened files with for result at least a nice "Too many open files ..." error.
    up
    3
    chris at ocproducts dot com
    6 years ago
    Calling 'exit' will bypass the auto_append_file option.
    On some free hosting this risks you getting removed, as they may be using for ads and analytics.

    So be a bit careful if using this on the most common output branch.
    up
    5
    emils at tvnet dot lv
    21 years ago
    Note, that using exit() will explicitly cause Roxen webserver to die, if PHP is used as Roxen SAPI module. There is no known workaround for that, except not to use exit(). CGI versions of PHP are not affected.
    up
    8
    void a t informance d o t info
    16 years ago
    To rich dot lovely at klikzltd dot co dot uk:

    Using a "@" before header() to suppress its error, and relying on the "headers already sent" error seems to me a very bad idea while building any serious website.

    This is *not* a clean way to prevent a file from being called directly. At least this is not a secure method, as you rely on the presence of an exception sent by the parser at runtime.

    I recommend using a more common way as defining a constant or assigning a variable with any value, and checking for its presence in the included script, like:

    in index.php:
    <?php
    define     ('INDEX', true);
    ?>

    in your included file:
    <?php
    if (!defined('INDEX')) {
    die(    'You cannot call this script directly !');
    }
    ?>

    BR.

    Ninj
    up
    4
    m dot libergolis at gmail dot com
    9 years ago
    In addition to "void a t informance d o t info", here's a one-liner that requires no constant:

    <?php basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__) && die('Thou shall not pass!'); ?>

    Placing it at the beginning of a PHP file will prevent direct access to the script.

    To redirect to / instead of dying:

    <?php
    if (basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__)) {
    if (    ob_get_contents()) ob_clean(); // ob_get_contents() even works without active output buffering
    header('Location: /');
    die;
    }
    ?>

    Doing the same in a one-liner:

    <?php basename($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']) == basename(__FILE__) && (!ob_get_contents() || ob_clean()) && header('Location: /') && die; ?>

    A note to security: Even though $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] comes from the user, it's safe to assume its validity, as the "manipulation" takes place _before_ the actual file execution, meaning that the string _must_ have been valid enough to execute the file. Also, basename() is binary safe, so you can safely rely on this function.
    up
    2
    jean dot claveau at gmail dot com
    4 years ago
    Beware if you enabled uopz extension, it disables exit / die() by default. They are just "skipped".

    https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.uopz-allow-exit.php
    up
    3
    alexyam at live dot com
    12 years ago
    When using php-fpm, fastcgi_finish_request() should be used instead of register_shutdown_function() and exit()

    For example, under nginx and php-fpm 5.3+, this will make browsers wait 10 seconds to show output:

    <?php
    echo "You have to wait 10 seconds to see this.<br>";
    register_shutdown_function('shutdown');
    exit;
    function     shutdown(){
    sleep(10);
    echo     "Because exit() doesn't terminate php-fpm calls immediately.<br>";
    }
    ?>

    This doesn't:

    <?php
    echo "You can see this from the browser immediately.<br>";
    fastcgi_finish_request();
    sleep(10);
    echo     "You can't see this form the browser.";
    ?>
    up
    3
    devinemke at devinemke dot com
    22 years ago
    If you are using templates with numerous includes then exit() will end you script and your template will not complete (no </table>, </body>, </html> etc...). Rather than having complex nested conditional logic within your content, just create a "footer.php" file that closes all of your HTML and if you want to exit out of a script just include() the footer before you exit().

    for example:

    include ('header.php');
    blah blah blah
    if (!$mysql_connect) {
    echo "unable to connect";
    include ('footer.php');
    exit;
    }
    blah blah blah
    include ('footer.php');
    up
    0
    bill dot gates at hotmail dot com
    3 years ago
    Be noticed about uopz (User Operations for Zend) extension of PHP. It disables (prevents) halting of PHP scripts (both FPM and CLI) on calling `exit()` and `die()` by default just after enabling the extension. Therefore your script will continue to execute.

    Details: https://www.php.net/manual/en/uopz.configuration.php#ini.uopz.exit
    up
    0
    sunfundev at gmail dot com
    7 years ago
    >> Shutdown functions and object destructors will always be executed even if exit is called.

    It is false if you call exit into desctructor.

    Normal exit:
    <?php
    class A
    {
    public function     __destruct()
    {
    echo     "bye A\n";
    }
    }

    class     B
    {
    public function     __destruct()
    {
    echo     "bye B\n";
    }
    }

    $a = new A;
    $b = new B;
    exit;

    // Output:
    // bye B
    // bye A
    ?>

    // Exit into desctructor:
    <?php
    class A
    {
    public function     __destruct()
    {
    echo     "bye A\n";
    }
    }

    class     B
    {
    public function     __destruct()
    {
    echo     "bye B\n";
    exit;
    }
    }

    $a = new A;
    $b = new B;

    // Output:
    // bye B
    ?>
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