How can PHP developers securely store and manage user login credentials to prevent unauthorized access?

To securely store and manage user login credentials in PHP, developers should use password hashing functions such as password_hash() to securely store passwords and password_verify() to verify passwords during login attempts. It is essential to never store passwords in plain text and to always use secure methods for storing and managing user credentials to prevent unauthorized access.

// Storing user password securely
$password = 'user_password';
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Verifying user password during login attempt
$user_input_password = 'user_input_password';
if (password_verify($user_input_password, $hashed_password)) {
    // Password is correct
} else {
    // Password is incorrect
}