PHP's bitwise operators work on the individual bits within integer variables.
Consider the integer value 1234.
Here's how those two bytes look as a string of bits:
00000100 11010010
PHP's bitwise operators let you manipulate these bits directly.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| & (And) | Only bits set in both values are set in the result | 14 & 3 = 2 00001110 & 00000011 = 00000010 |
| | (Or) | Bits set in either value are set in the result | 14 | 3 = 15 00001110 | 00000011 = 00001111 |
| ^ (Xor) | Bits set in either value (but not both) are set in the result | 14 ^ 3 = 13 00001110 | 00000011 = 00001101 |
| ~ (Not) | Bits set in the value are not set in the result, and vice versa | ~14 = -15 ~00000000000000000000000000001110 = 11111111111111111111111111110001 |
| << (Shift left) | Shifts all bits in the first value a number of places to the left | 3 << 2 = 12 00000011 << 2 = 00001100 |
| >> (Shift right) | Shifts all bits in the first value a number of places to the right | 8 >> 2 = 2 00001000 >> 2 = 00000010 |
~ (Not) inverts all the bits in the number.