simple game Internet server: C++ vs. PHP

It's very hard to build reliable persistent state using PHP. You end up creating a database transaction per move, and you end up having to poll to find out when the other player makes a move, which ends up being a significant load on the server, which in turn ends up making cheap hosts kick you out.

If you're OK with requiring users to set up port forwarding, then I suggest you use a PHP script for lobbying, and then do peer-to-peer connections for the game. If not, then you'll need to host a persistent server, which means some kind of persistent server set-up.

One option that's affordable is to set up a 250 MB virtual Linux slice with a hoster like DreamHost. $10/month for the web hosting, and $25/month for the virtual slice makes for $35/month for a permanent server. (If you decide to go that route, you can use promo code "L33TN3SS" to get $50 off the first year, and a free domain registration). Once you run out of capacity for that slice, other options are Amazon ECC, where hosting starts at about $80/month plus bandwidth, or something like serverbeach.com, where the bottom-of-the-barrel offers are about $70/month.

hplus0603, thank you very much for your answer and promo code.

I'm not experienced with network technologies. What is a 'persistent server'?

In case to have php server for lobby only.. Is it possible to connect two players which are both behind NAT then? Peer-to-peer connection would not work for all players, as I see.
(this is what you meant by port forwarding?)

And please tell what do you think about PHP + socket. Will it work on usual hosting?

It seems that I will learn how to program on Linux soon :)

A persistent server is a program/process that you write, and that runs continuously -- not just in response to a single web request, like a PHP script in a web server. You *can* write a persistent server in PHP, but you generally cannot host such servers on regular web hosts, because they do not allow long-running processes.

To do NAT punch-through, you need an introducer process, which in turn needs to be a long-running (persistent) process/server, so again no dice with typical web hosts.

Quote:

It seems that I will learn how to program on Linux soon :)

You can write a persistent process on Linux or Windows (or Solaris, or whatever). However, the servers you can lease for Linux are generally cheaper than those for Windows.