In what ways can PHP developers optimize the performance of executing user-inputted SQL queries on a webpage?

One way PHP developers can optimize the performance of executing user-inputted SQL queries on a webpage is by using prepared statements. Prepared statements help prevent SQL injection attacks and can improve query execution speed by caching the query plan. This approach also allows for reusing the query with different input values without the need to recompile the query each time.

// Establish a database connection
$pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase", "username", "password");

// User input from a form
$userInput = $_POST['user_input'];

// Prepare a SQL statement with a placeholder
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username");

// Bind the user input to the placeholder
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $userInput);

// Execute the prepared statement
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch the results
$results = $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

// Loop through the results
foreach ($results as $row) {
    echo $row['username'] . "<br>";
}