PHP - Manage data from URL variables

Question

Using a PHP script, I need to manage data sent to the script in a variable format.

The URL sent is something like: http://hawkserv.co.uk/heartbeat.php?port=25565&max=32&name=My%20Server&public=True&version=7&salt=wo6kVAHjxoJcInKx&players=&worlds=guest&motd=testtet&lvlcount=1&servversion=67.5.0.1&hash=randomhash&users=0
(clicking the link returns a formatted table of the results)

What is the best method of storing this information for it to be used in a formatted HTML page?

Multiple URL's will be sent to the script, with different values. The script needs to store each response to be used later, and also "time out" responses that haven't been updated in a while.

Example scenario:
3 servers exist, Server 1, Server 2, and Server 3. Each of these servers send the above url every 45 seconds with a few values changed per server. A formatted table can display information when the page is requested, and is updated when the page refreshes to any new information that the servers send.

Server 1 goes offline, and doesn't send any more requests. The script accounts for this lack of request and removes Server 1's information from the list, declaring it offline.

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Although code is greatly appreciated to have, I think I can just go off the best way of doing it. Is it storing each url as an array in a file, and reading the file when needed, or is there some other way?

Answer 1

I would store the variables + the time the request was received in a database. The database can be a SQLite one if you don't like to go through the hassle of setting up a full blown system. The advantages of using SQLite over dumping arrays to a file is that you can do flexible queries without coding up parsing routines and the like.