Difference Between printf & sprintf

Printf print something directly

Sprintf place it into a variable first

$name = 'Jeff';

// The `%s` tells PHP to expect a string
// ↓ `%s` is replaced by ↓
printf("Hello %s, How's it going?", $name);
#> Hello Jeff, How's it going?

// Instead of outputting it directly, place it into a variable ($greeting)
$greeting = sprintf("Hello %s, How's it going?", $name);
echo $greeting;
#> Hello Jeff, How's it going?