Are there any specific PHP functions or libraries recommended for handling external URL checking in PHP?

When handling external URL checking in PHP, it is recommended to use the `filter_var` function with the `FILTER_VALIDATE_URL` filter to validate URLs. Additionally, you can use the `file_get_contents` function to check if the URL is accessible and retrieve its contents. 

$url = "http://example.com";
if (filter_var($url, FILTER_VALIDATE_URL)) {
    $url_contents = file_get_contents($url);
    if ($url_contents !== false) {
        echo "URL is valid and accessible.";
    } else {
        echo "URL is valid but not accessible.";
    }
} else {
    echo "Invalid URL.";
}

Keywords

PHP functions libraries external URL checking validation error handling

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