Is there any advantage to using __construct() instead of the class's name for a constructor in PHP?

Yes, there are several advantages to using the magic function __construct() instead of the class's name for constructors in PHP −

• The magic function __construct() was introduced in PHP 5.0. One advantage of using __construct() over ClassName() as a constructor is if you change the name of the class, you don't need to update the constructor which supports DRY (don't repeat yourself) concept.
• If you have a child class you can call parent::__construct() to call the parent constructor in an easy way.
• Old-style constructors (using class names) are deprecated in PHP 7.0 and removed in PHP 8.0, making __construct() the only valid approach in modern PHP.

Example

Here's an example showing inheritance with __construct() −

<?php
    class myclass {
        public function __construct() {
            echo 'The class "', __CLASS__, '" was initiated!' . "<br>";
        }
    }
    
    class childclass extends myclass {
        public function __construct() {
            parent::__construct();
            echo "In SubClass constructor<br>";
        }
    }
    
    $myobj = new childclass();
?>

Output

The class "myclass" was initiated!
In SubClass constructor

Key Advantages

Note

__CLASS__ is a magic constant that returns the name of the class in which it is called. Old-style constructors are deprecated in PHP 7.0 and removed in PHP 8.0, so you should always use __construct() in new code.

Conclusion

Using __construct() provides better maintainability, easier inheritance, and ensures compatibility with modern PHP versions. It's the recommended approach for all new PHP development.