How can prepared statements be utilized in MySQLi for improved security?

Using prepared statements in MySQLi can improve security by preventing SQL injection attacks. Prepared statements separate SQL logic from user input, allowing the database to distinguish between code and data. This means that user input is treated as data, not executable code, making it impossible for attackers to inject malicious SQL queries. 

// Establish a connection to the database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Prepare a SQL statement with a placeholder for user input
$stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?");

// Bind user input to the placeholder
$stmt->bind_param("s", $username);

// Set the user input
$username = $_POST['username'];

// Execute the prepared statement
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch the results
$result = $stmt->get_result();

// Process the results
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    // Do something with the data
}

// Close the statement and connection
$stmt->close();
$mysqli->close();

Keywords

prepared statements MySQLi security SQL injection parameterized queries

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