In cases where essential PHP functions are deactivated by hosting providers, what are the best practices for finding alternative solutions or choosing a more suitable hosting service?

When essential PHP functions are deactivated by hosting providers, the best practice is to first contact the hosting provider to inquire about the reason for the deactivation and if there are any alternative solutions they can provide. If no satisfactory solution is offered, consider finding a new hosting service that allows the necessary PHP functions to be used. It is important to ensure that the new hosting service meets all the requirements for your website or application.

// Example code snippet to check if a PHP function is available before using it
if (function_exists('function_name')) {
    // Function exists, proceed with using it
    function_name();
} else {
    // Function is not available, handle the situation accordingly
    echo 'Function not available';
}