How can PHP access files in a protected directory that is restricted by .htaccess?

PHP can access files in a protected directory that is restricted by .htaccess by using the PHP function file_get_contents() to read the contents of the file. This function bypasses the restrictions set by .htaccess and allows PHP to access the file directly.

$file_contents = file_get_contents('protected_directory/protected_file.txt');
echo $file_contents;