How can reading the PHP manual help in understanding session-based authentication in PHP?

Understanding session-based authentication in PHP involves knowing how to start, manage, and destroy sessions to keep track of user authentication status. Reading the PHP manual can provide detailed explanations of session functions and parameters, as well as best practices for implementing secure authentication mechanisms.

// Start a session
session_start();

// Check if user is authenticated
if (!isset($_SESSION['authenticated']) || $_SESSION['authenticated'] !== true) {
    // Redirect to login page
    header('Location: login.php');
    exit();
}

// Destroy session on logout
if (isset($_GET['logout'])) {
    session_destroy();
    header('Location: login.php');
    exit();
}