Opcache (Zend Opcache) is a bytecode caching module in PHP designed to improve the performance of PHP web applications. Its primary goal is to reduce the time required to load and execute PHP scripts by storing the compiled code in the server's memory.
How Opcache works:
Code Compilation: Upon the initial execution of a PHP script, its source code is transformed into bytecode, an intermediate code understandable by the PHP virtual machine (Zend VM).
Bytecode Caching: Opcache stores this bytecode in the server's memory, preventing the need for recompilation with each request.
Faster Access: Storing bytecode in the server's memory allows the server to execute PHP scripts more quickly, as there is no need to recompile them for every request.
