How can PHP developers ensure the security and efficiency of their search functions when interacting with a database?

To ensure the security and efficiency of search functions when interacting with a database, PHP developers should use parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks and optimize their queries by limiting the number of results returned. 

// Example of using parameterized queries to secure search function
$searchTerm = $_GET['search'];

$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username LIKE :searchTerm");
$stmt->bindValue(':searchTerm', '%' . $searchTerm . '%');
$stmt->execute();

$results = $stmt->fetchAll();

Keywords

SQL injection prepared statements PDO input validation escaping data

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