In what scenarios is it recommended to use OAuth instead of PHP sessions for authentication purposes?

OAuth is recommended over PHP sessions for authentication purposes when you want to allow users to access resources from multiple services without sharing their credentials. OAuth provides a secure and standardized way for users to grant access to their data without exposing their login credentials. It is particularly useful when integrating with third-party APIs or services that require user authentication.

// Example code using OAuth for authentication
// This code assumes you have set up OAuth client credentials and endpoints

// Redirect user to OAuth provider for authentication
$authorizationUrl = 'https://oauth-provider.com/authorize?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI&response_type=code';
header('Location: ' . $authorizationUrl);
exit;

// Once user is authenticated, exchange authorization code for access token
$accessTokenUrl = 'https://oauth-provider.com/token';
$accessTokenParams = [
    'grant_type' => 'authorization_code',
    'code' => $_GET['code'],
    'client_id' => 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
    'client_secret' => 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
    'redirect_uri' => 'YOUR_REDIRECT_URI'
];

$accessTokenResponse = http_post($accessTokenUrl, $accessTokenParams);

// Store access token securely for future API requests
$accessToken = $accessTokenResponse['access_token'];