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Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2025 15:45:12 +0100
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [Discuss] Add PDO disconnect() and isConnected()
To: Kamil Tekiela <tekiela246@gmail.com>, Robert Wolf <rposky@gmail.com>
Cc: Claude Pache <claude.pache@gmail.com>,
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From: php.lists@allenjb.me.uk (AllenJB)

On 01/10/2025 14:55, Kamil Tekiela wrote:
> This sounds better, but I would argue that if it's a PERSISTENT
> connection, then it should be impossible for the user to close it. The
> idea is that the connection should remain open after being established
> and should only close when the server restarts. What scenario would
> necessitate the user to close a connection that should never close?

As I understand it, at least in the case of MySQL, the state of 
persistent connections is not managed by MySQL, but by the client (PHP). 
This means that it's (at least theoretically) possible for a connection 
to end up in an undesirable state, in which case there should be a way 
to close it so it's not reused.

I think a disconnect method should be provided, with the proviso that 
there should be prominent warnings regarding state management on the 
documentation.

I've seen developers getting into trouble after attempting to implement 
automatic reconnection in their code with the existing PDO capabilities, 
so this already happens anyway.

If something is primarily a footgun, I can see that as reasoning for not 
providing it. But a kitchen knife is equally apt at cutting food and 
fingers. The latter is not a good reason to not have one in the kitchen 
- people can learn to use them safely with adequate instruction.

---

As an aside, the manual is unclear on how much management of persistent 
connections PDO does. I have an open issue on this: 
https://github.com/php/doc-en/issues/4540

(I did have a brief look again and based on some further investigation I 
did based (initially) on the answer thecotne gave in the above linked 
issue, believe that answer may not be accurate, at least in its 
reasoning, and thus their conclusion is circumspect. Looking at this 
again is somewhere on my todo list, I think)