How can the use of JOINs in SQL queries improve the efficiency and readability of PHP scripts interacting with databases?

Using JOINs in SQL queries can improve the efficiency and readability of PHP scripts by allowing you to retrieve related data from multiple tables in a single query, rather than making multiple queries and combining the results in PHP code. This reduces the number of database calls and data processing in PHP, leading to better performance. Additionally, JOINs simplify the code by handling the data relationships directly in the SQL query, making it easier to understand and maintain.

<?php
// Establish a database connection
$connection = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Query using JOIN to retrieve related data
$query = "SELECT orders.order_id, orders.order_date, customers.customer_name 
          FROM orders
          JOIN customers ON orders.customer_id = customers.customer_id";

$result = $connection->query($query);

// Fetch and display the results
while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    echo "Order ID: " . $row['order_id'] . " | Order Date: " . $row['order_date'] . " | Customer Name: " . $row['customer_name'] . "<br>";
}

// Close the database connection
$connection->close();
?>