Скачать или смотреть Understanding Why file_get_contents Requests Don’t Appear in Browser Dev Tools

Discover why requests made using `file_get_contents` in PHP don't show up in browser Dev Tools like Chrome or Firefox. Learn to understand the request flow between your scripts.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/69928240/ asked by the user 'Mefisto Evil' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11422302/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/69928322/ provided by the user 'ADyson' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/5947043/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Why cant i see file_get_contents request in firefox and chrome dev tools under network activity?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Why Can’t I See file_get_contents Requests in Browser Dev Tools?

As a web developer, you may run into situations where your code is functioning correctly, but you can't see specific requests in the Network activity of your browser's Developer Tools. If you've been using file_get_contents in PHP and wonder why you can't see requests to the file being fetched in tools like Firefox or Chrome, you're not alone. Let’s break this down.

The Problem Explained

Having two PHP files, index.php and form.php, you might be curious about how requests flow in your setup:

index.php: This file outputs the number 123.

form.php: Here, you use PHP's file_get_contents function to fetch the output from index.php and display it.

While running form.php, you can see "123" as a result. However, no requests to index.php are shown in the Network Tab of your Developer Tools. So, why is that?

The Core Explanation

The Key Point: The request to http://localhost/fatsecret/index.php is not coming from your browser. Instead, it originates from the PHP code running on your server.

Here’s how it works:

Browser: It initiates a request to form.php when you visit that endpoint.

form.php: This script runs on your server and uses file_get_contents to make a request to index.php. But this request is handled server-side.

Server: The server reaches out to index.php, processes the request, retrieves the response (in this case "123"), and returns it to form.php.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The request to index.php is invisible to the browser because the browser does not know what happens once the PHP script starts executing on the server. It only sees its own request to form.php.

Why Do Browser Dev Tools Not Capture This Request?

Server-side Processing: Since file_get_contents works on the server, the browser isn’t involved in that specific HTTP request. Browsers typically only log requests made directly by them (like fetching HTML, JavaScript, CSS, or images).

Request Flow: The browser’s perspective is limited to interactions it directly initiates, which means it cannot trace the internal operations performed by server-side scripts.

Summary

In summary, the reason you cannot see file_get_contents requests in Firefox or Chrome's Dev Tools is due to the nature of how PHP operates. The browser only sends a request to form.php. Any subsequent requests made inside of that script, such as the one to index.php, do not involve the browser at all. Thus, they cannot be logged or monitored in the Network Tab of Developer Tools.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the flow of requests and how they interact between the browser and server can greatly enhance your debugging skills in web development. Remember, not all requests will surface in your browser tools—especially when they involve internal server communication. Keep this in mind as you explore further with your PHP projects!