How can var_dump() be used to display the actual value of a variable in PHP, as opposed to using echo?

When using echo to display a variable in PHP, the output may not always accurately represent the actual value of the variable, especially if it is an array or object. To display the actual value of a variable in PHP, you can use the var_dump() function. var_dump() will provide detailed information about the variable, including its type and value, making it useful for debugging and understanding complex data structures.

$variable = "Hello, World!";
var_dump($variable);