What is a closure in PHP?

A closure in PHP refers specifically to an anonymous function that can capture and use variables from its surrounding scope. This means that it has the ability to access variables that are defined outside of its own body. This feature is particularly useful for scenarios where you need a function to maintain some state or configuration without having to use global variables or other forms of state management.

Closures are often used in functional programming styles in PHP, especially when combined with functions that require a callback, such as array mapping or filtering methods. By allowing the function to capture variables from its environment, closures provide a more flexible, concise, and expressive way to handle functions in dynamic contexts.

Understanding closures is essential, as they are a powerful feature of PHP that enhance coding efficiency and maintainability.