Are there any best practices or security considerations to keep in mind when implementing file deletion functionality in PHP scripts?

When implementing file deletion functionality in PHP scripts, it is important to validate user input to prevent unauthorized deletion of files. Additionally, it is recommended to check file permissions to ensure that the user has the necessary rights to delete the file. Finally, consider using secure methods such as unlink() to delete files rather than system calls. 

$fileToDelete = $_POST['fileToDelete'];

// Validate user input
if (strpos($fileToDelete, '/') !== false || strpos($fileToDelete, '\\') !== false) {
    die("Invalid file path.");
}

// Check file permissions
if (!is_writable($fileToDelete)) {
    die("Permission denied.");
}

// Delete the file
if (unlink($fileToDelete)) {
    echo "File deleted successfully.";
} else {
    echo "Failed to delete file.";
}

Keywords

file deletion security considerations PHP scripts error handling permissions

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