In what scenarios would it be more appropriate to use unique IDs instead of usernames for database queries in PHP applications, and how can this be implemented effectively?

In scenarios where usernames can change or be duplicated, it is more appropriate to use unique IDs for database queries in PHP applications to ensure accuracy and consistency. This can be implemented effectively by assigning a unique ID to each user upon registration and using this ID as the primary key for database queries instead of the username. 

// Assuming $userID is the unique ID for the user
$userID = 123;

// Query example using unique ID
$query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = :userID";
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($query);
$stmt->bindParam(':userID', $userID);
$stmt->execute();
$user = $stmt->fetch();

Keywords

unique IDs usernames database queries implementation PHP applications

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