How can the configuration for database connections be handled more efficiently in PHP applications?

One efficient way to handle database connection configurations in PHP applications is to use a separate configuration file to store database credentials and connection settings. This allows for easy modification of database details without having to update the connection code in multiple files. By including this configuration file in your PHP scripts, you can centralize and manage database connection settings more effectively.

// config.php
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
define('DB_USER', 'username');
define('DB_PASS', 'password');
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name');

// db_connection.php
require_once 'config.php';

$connection = new mysqli(DB_HOST, DB_USER, DB_PASS, DB_NAME);

if ($connection->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $connection->connect_error);
}