In what situations should PHP developers use session_start() function in their code?

PHP developers should use the session_start() function in their code whenever they need to start a new session or resume an existing session. This function initializes a session or resumes the current session based on a session identifier passed via a cookie or GET/POST variable. It is essential for managing user sessions and storing session data across multiple pages on a website.

<?php
// Start or resume a session
session_start();

// Access session variables
$_SESSION['username'] = 'john_doe';

// Use session variables in code
echo 'Welcome, ' . $_SESSION['username'];
?>