Are there any best practices for structuring PHP scripts to handle user authentication?

When handling user authentication in PHP scripts, it is important to follow best practices to ensure security and efficiency. One common approach is to create separate files for handling authentication logic, such as login, registration, and logout functions. This helps keep the code organized and makes it easier to maintain and update in the future. Additionally, using secure hashing algorithms like bcrypt to store passwords and implementing measures like CSRF tokens can help prevent common security vulnerabilities. 

// authentication.php

// Function to hash passwords using bcrypt
function hashPassword($password) {
    return password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);
}

// Function to verify hashed password
function verifyPassword($password, $hash) {
    return password_verify($password, $hash);
}

// Function to generate CSRF token
function generateCSRFToken() {
    if (empty($_SESSION['csrf_token'])) {
        $_SESSION['csrf_token'] = bin2hex(random_bytes(32));
    }
    return $_SESSION['csrf_token'];
}

// Function to validate CSRF token
function validateCSRFToken($token) {
    return hash_equals($_SESSION['csrf_token'], $token);
}

Keywords

PHP user authentication password hashing session management security vulnerabilities

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