Sharing PDOdb - A Modern PHP 8.4+ Evolution Inspired by This Project

[tommyknocker]

Hi @ThingEngineer and contributors! 👋

I wanted to reach out and share something with the community. Years ago, I was inspired by this excellent library to create my own database abstraction layer. Over time, it evolved significantly, and I recently modernized it for PHP 8.4+.

🙏 Credit Where Credit's Due

This project (PHP-MySQLi-Database-Class) was the original inspiration that got me started. Your clean API design and practical approach to database abstraction influenced how I think about these problems. Thank you for creating and maintaining this resource!

🚀 What I Built: PDOdb

Repository: https://github.com/tommyknocker/pdo-database-class
Packagist: https://packagist.org/packages/tommyknocker/pdo-database-class

While the API has diverged significantly over the years, the core philosophy remains: make database operations simple, safe, and enjoyable.

✨ Key Differences & Features

• Multi-database support: MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite with unified API
• Modern PHP 8.4+: Property hooks, union types, match expressions
• Fluent QueryBuilder: Expressive, chainable syntax
• Comprehensive JSON support: Native JSON operations across all databases
• 20+ SQL helper functions: Math, string, date/time operations
• Connection pooling: Similar to this project, with multi-database support
• Zero external dependencies: Just PDO and PSR-3 logging
• Fully tested: 246 tests, 1296 assertions across all three databases

📚 Live Examples

We've created 18 comprehensive, runnable examples covering everything from basic CRUD to complex multi-database architectures. Check out the examples/ directory:

• Basic: Connection, CRUD, WHERE conditions, INSERT/UPDATE
• Intermediate: JOINs, aggregations, pagination, transactions
• Advanced: Connection pooling, bulk operations, UPSERT
• JSON: Complete guide to JSON features
• Helpers: String, math, date/time, NULL handling
• Real-World: Full blog system with posts, comments, and tags

Each example is self-contained, tested, and ready to run!

📖 Example

use tommyknocker\pdodb\PdoDb;
use tommyknocker\pdodb\helpers\Db;

$db = new PdoDb('mysql', [
    'host' => 'localhost',
    'username' => 'user',
    'password' => 'pass',
    'dbname' => 'testdb'
]);

// Fluent API with JSON support
$adults = $db->find()
    ->from('users')
    ->where('age', 18, '>')
    ->andWhere(Db::jsonContains('tags', 'php'))
    ->orderBy('created_at', 'DESC')
    ->limit(10)
    ->get();

// Multi-database connection pooling
$db = new PdoDb();
$db->addConnection('mysql_main', ['driver' => 'mysql', ...]);
$db->addConnection('pgsql_analytics', ['driver' => 'pgsql', ...]);

$users = $db->connection('mysql_main')->find()->from('users')->get();
$stats = $db->connection('pgsql_analytics')->find()->from('stats')->get();

🎯 Why Share This?

I believe both libraries serve different use cases and can coexist:

• PHP-MySQLi-Database-Class: Battle-tested, stable, MySQLi-based, excellent for PHP 7.x+ projects and MySQL applications
• PDOdb: Modern PHP 8.4+, multi-database (MySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite), ideal for projects requiring cross-database compatibility

If anyone here is looking for multi-database support, PostgreSQL/SQLite compatibility, or wants to leverage modern PHP 8.4 features, PDOdb might be worth checking out. And if you're happy with this library (which is excellent!), absolutely stick with it!

📖 Resources

• Documentation: Comprehensive README with 1400+ lines
• Examples: 18 runnable examples
• CHANGELOG: Full history from v1.0.3 to v2.5.0
• Installation: composer require tommyknocker/pdo-database-class

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TL;DR: Built a modern, multi-database alternative inspired by this project. Wanted to say thanks and share with folks who might find it useful! 🙂

Feel free to close this issue if it's not appropriate - just wanted to give credit and potentially help some community members who might be looking for these features.

[ThingEngineer]

Hey @tommyknocker! 👋

Here's the thing: This is the exact reason I open-sourced this library in the first place (many) years ago. Not so that everyone would just use what I made, but so that it would spark ideas and inspire people to build their own solutions, iterate on concepts, and push things forward. I started this project because another developer's work gave me that same spark. Hopefully that cycle keeps repeating!

I love what you've built here. The multi-database abstraction layer is particularly impressive, abstracting the differences between MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite while maintaining a unified API is no small feat. The JSON helper functions are a really elegant solution to a common pain point, especially since JSON support varies so much across database engines.

Your use of modern PHP 8.4 features like property hooks and match expressions is also great to see. When I started this project, we were barely into PHP 5.3! It's fascinating how the language has evolved, and PDOdb clearly takes advantage of that evolution.

The fact that you took inspiration, evolved it in your own direction, and now have 246 tests across three databases shows you've built something substantial and well-thought-out. That comprehensive example directory is particularly nice that's the kind of documentation that actually helps people learn.

Thank you for taking the time to share PDOdb with the community, and more importantly, thank you for keeping the cycle of inspiration going. Keeping this issue open as a resource for anyone interested in exploring different approaches to database abstraction. Both libraries serve their purposes, and having options is always good for the ecosystem.

Keep building! 🚀