In what scenarios should DNS entry verification be used in PHP to ensure the availability of a domain before accessing it with file_get_contents()?

When using file_get_contents() to access a domain in PHP, it is important to verify the DNS entry of the domain before making the request. This ensures that the domain is valid and accessible, preventing potential errors or timeouts in the script. By verifying the DNS entry, you can check if the domain exists before attempting to access it with file_get_contents().

$domain = 'example.com';
$dns = dns_get_record($domain, DNS_A);

if (!empty($dns)) {
    $content = file_get_contents('http://' . $domain);
    // Proceed with processing the content
} else {
    echo 'Invalid domain or DNS entry not found.';
}