:: is for static elements while -> is for instance elements.
For example:
class Example {
public static function hello(){
echo 'hello';
}
public function world(){
echo 'world';
}
}
// Static method, can be called from the class name
Example::hello();
// Instance method, can only be called from an instance of the class
$obj = new Example();
$obj->world();
More about the static concept