Should PHP developers always use backticks for column names in SQL queries, or are there situations where they are not necessary?

When writing SQL queries in PHP, backticks are not always necessary for column names. Backticks are typically used to escape column names that are reserved words or contain special characters. If the column names are standard alphanumeric characters and do not conflict with reserved words, backticks may not be needed. It is good practice to use backticks for all column names to avoid any potential issues with reserved words or special characters.

// Example of using backticks for column names in an SQL query
$query = "SELECT `id`, `name`, `email` FROM `users` WHERE `status` = 'active'";