Explain file_get_contents('php://input')

Question

I am writing an android app to connect to PHP web service and through my searches in internet I faced file_get_contents(\'php://input\'); and I understood some

Answer 1

The information comes from here: http://www.php.net/manual/en/wrappers.php.php

When information is sent to the server via a POST request, it is saved in a temporary file.

The command file_get_contents('php://input') reads the raw information sent to PHP -- unprocessed before it ever gets put into $_POST or $_REQUEST super globals.

This technique is often used when someone is uploading a file, such as an image.

EDIT: removed $_GET