Are there any specific PHP functions or methods that should be used to prevent unauthorized access to user data in a web application?

To prevent unauthorized access to user data in a web application, it is important to implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms. This can be done by using PHP functions such as password_hash() for securely storing passwords, password_verify() for verifying passwords, and session_start() to manage user sessions. Additionally, you can use PHP functions like isset() to check if a user is logged in and header() to redirect unauthorized users.

// Check if user is logged in
session_start();
if(!isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
    header("Location: login.php");
    exit();
}