Check if URL is valid - Fastest Method

[Stooney]

I currently have the method listed below for checking if a URL is valid.  What I need is the fastest possible method of checking of a sizable array of URLs are valid or not. 

 

Here is what I have:

<?php
if(file_get_contents('http://us.php.net/images/php.gif', 'FILE_TEXT', NULL, 0, 1)){
echo 'ok';
} else{
echo 'fail';
}
?>

 

Is there anything faster than this?

 

Note:  I don't need help with making it work, just need to know if there is a faster method than my file_get_contents way of doing it.  Thanks in advance.

 

[ILMV]

Right, when you say valid do you mean it is in a valid format or that the web page exists?

 

 

[JonnoTheDev]

Bad method - file_get_contents() is slow

If you want to check that the webpage exists then I would check the HTTP header. i.e if you get no header the site maybe dead. You may also get a 404 header for an invalid url.

 

<?php
// return header
function httpHeader($url) {
$urlParts = parse_url($url);

$fp	= @fsockopen($urlParts['host'],80,$errno,$errstr,20);
$out = "GET ".$url." HTTP/1.1\r\n"; 
$out.= "Host: ".$urlParts['host']."\r\n"; 
$out.= "Connection: Close\r\n\r\n";
@fwrite($fp,$out);
$content = @fgets($fp);

return $content;
}


print httpHeader("http://google.com")."\n";
?>