Types of PHP Operators

PHP offers different types of operators:

Arithmetic operators
Assignment operators
Comparison operators
Increment/Decrement operators
Logical operators
String operators
Array operators
Conditional (Ternary) operator

We’ll understand each one with clear explanations and practical examples.

Arithmetic Operators

These operators are used to do basic math.

Common examples:

$x + $y → Adds two numbers
$x – $y → Subtracts $y from $x
$x * $y → Multiplies $x with $y
$x / $y → Divides $x by $y
$x % $y → Gives remainder
$x ** $y → Power (like 2 ** 3 = 8)

Real-world example:
You want to calculate the total bill of two products.

$price1 = 120;
$price2 = 80;
$total = $price1 + $price2;  // Total is 200

Assignment Operators

Assignment operators assign values to variables.

Examples:

$x = 10 → Stores 10 in $x
$x += 5 → Adds 5 to $x
$x -= 2 → Subtracts 2 from $x
$x *= 4 → Multiplies $x by 4
$x /= 2 → Divides $x by 2
$x %= 3 → $x becomes remainder of $x ÷ 3

Use case:
Updating scores after a game round:

$score = 50;
$score += 10;  // Now score is 60

Comparison Operators

Used when you want to compare two values — like checking if someone passed or failed.

Examples:

$x == $y → True if values are same
$x === $y → Also checks if type is same
$x != $y → True if values are not equal
$x > $y, $x < $y → Greater or less than
$x >= $y, $x <= $y → Greater/less than or equal to

Use case:
Check if a student passed:

$marks = 40;
if ($marks >= 35) {
  echo "Pass";
}

Increment and Decrement Operators

Used to increase or decrease a value by 1.

Types:

++$x → Increases first, then uses value
$x++ → Uses value, then increases
–$x → Decreases first, then uses
$x– → Uses value, then decreases

Use case:
Counting visitors on a website:

$visitors = 100;
$visitors++;

Logical Operators

Used to make decisions based on multiple conditions.

Examples:

$x && $y → True if both are true
$x || $y → True if any one is true
!$x → Opposite (true becomes false)
$x xor $y → True if only one is true

Use case:
Allow login if password is correct and user is active:

if ($isActive && $passwordCorrect) {
  echo "Login success";
}

String Operators

Used to join or update strings.

Examples:

$x . $y → Joins two strings
$x .= $y → Adds right string to left variable

Use case:

$first = "Good ";
$second = "Morning";
echo $first . $second;  // Output: Good Morning

Array Operators

Used to compare arrays or combine them.

Examples:

$a + $b → Union of arrays
$a == $b → True if same values
$a === $b → True if same order and values
$a != $b, $a <> $b → Not equal
$a !== $b → Not identical

Use case:

$fruit1 = array("a" => "apple", "b" => "banana");
$fruit2 = array("b" => "banana", "a" => "apple");

var_dump($fruit1 == $fruit2);  // true
var_dump($fruit1 === $fruit2); // false

Conditional (Ternary) Operator

A short way to write if...else.

Syntax:
(condition) ? value_if_true : value_if_false;

Use case:

$age = 18;
$status = ($age >= 18) ? "Adult" : "Minor";  // Output: Adult

Summary

Operators in PHP are the foundation of logic, math, and control. Whether you’re checking if a user is eligible for a discount or calculating totals in an e-commerce cart, operators are behind the scenes doing the work.