Which operator is used for strict comparison in PHP?

The strict comparison operator in PHP is represented by three equal signs: ===. This operator not only checks for equality between two values but also ensures that they are of the same data type. For example, when using this operator, the integer 5 is not considered equal to the string "5" because they are of different types.

Using strict comparison is crucial in scenarios where type safety is important, such as when dealing with user input or comparing values from different sources. This helps prevent unexpected behaviors that can arise from type juggling, where PHP automatically converts one type to another to make the comparison.

The other operators listed serve different purposes. While the two-equals operator (==) checks for value equality without considering type, the not equal operator (!=) finds values that are not equal, and the strict not equal operator (!==) assesses both value and type mismatch. However, none of these options fulfill the requirement for strict comparison as accurately as the three-equal sign operator does.