How can one improve security when handling credentials in a PHP project, especially in relation to database access?

To improve security when handling credentials in a PHP project, especially in relation to database access, it is recommended to store sensitive information like database credentials in a separate configuration file outside of the web root directory. This prevents direct access to the credentials by unauthorized users. Additionally, using secure methods like PDO with prepared statements for database access can help prevent SQL injection attacks. 

// config.php
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'username');
define('DB_PASS', 'password');

// db_connection.php
require_once('config.php');

try {
    $pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=" . DB_HOST . ";dbname=" . DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASS);
    $pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    die("Error connecting to database: " . $e->getMessage());
}

Keywords

password hashing prepared statements SQL injection encryption secure coding practices

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