How does using filter_var and filter_input improve the security of user input handling in PHP?

When handling user input in PHP, it is crucial to validate and sanitize the input to prevent security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting attacks. Using functions like filter_var and filter_input helps improve security by allowing you to easily validate and sanitize user input according to specified filters, ensuring that only safe and expected data is processed by your application. 

// Example of using filter_input to improve security of user input handling
$userInput = filter_input(INPUT_POST, 'user_input', FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Example of using filter_var to improve security of user input handling
$userEmail = $_POST['user_email'];
if (filter_var($userEmail, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
    // Proceed with safe email input
} else {
    // Handle invalid email input
}

Keywords

filter_var filter_input security user input handling PHP

Related Questions