Are there any potential pitfalls in including or requiring files in PHP, especially when it comes to database connections?

One potential pitfall in including or requiring files in PHP, especially when it comes to database connections, is exposing sensitive information such as database credentials. To solve this issue, it's important to store sensitive information in a separate configuration file outside of the web root directory and include it in your PHP files securely. 

// config.php
<?php
$host = 'localhost';
$username = 'root';
$password = 'password';
$database = 'my_database';
?>

// index.php
<?php
require_once('../config.php');

// Use $host, $username, $password, $database variables for database connection
?>

Keywords

include require PHP database connection error handling

Related Questions