Are there any best practices for handling user authentication and session management in PHP programs?

User authentication and session management are crucial aspects of web application security. To handle user authentication securely in PHP programs, it is recommended to use password hashing algorithms like bcrypt, implement CSRF protection, and use secure session management techniques like storing session data in a secure manner and regenerating session IDs after successful login.

// Start session
session_start();

// Check if user is logged in
if(isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
    // User is logged in
} else {
    // Redirect to login page
    header("Location: login.php");
    exit();
}