How can the use of file-based data storage in PHP applications impact performance and scalability?

Using file-based data storage in PHP applications can impact performance and scalability due to potential bottlenecks in reading and writing to files, especially as the amount of data grows. To improve performance and scalability, consider using a database system like MySQL or PostgreSQL for more efficient data storage and retrieval.

// Example of using MySQL database for data storage
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "myDB";

// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

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

// Perform database operations here
$conn->close();