How can the use of prepared statements in PDO improve security in PHP applications compared to traditional SQL queries?

Using prepared statements in PDO can improve security in PHP applications compared to traditional SQL queries because it helps prevent SQL injection attacks. Prepared statements separate the SQL query from the user input, allowing the database to distinguish between code and data. This means that malicious SQL code cannot be injected into the query, making the application more secure. 

// Connect to the database
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');

// Prepare a SQL statement with a placeholder
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username');

// Bind the user input to the placeholder
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $_POST['username']);

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

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

Keywords

prepared statements PDO security PHP applications SQL queries

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