What are best practices for handling user authentication in PHP and MySQL?

When handling user authentication in PHP and MySQL, it is important to securely store user passwords by using a strong hashing algorithm like bcrypt. Additionally, always use prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks and validate user input to ensure data integrity. Lastly, consider implementing features like account lockout after multiple failed login attempts to enhance security. 

// Example of securely hashing and storing user password in MySQL
$password = password_hash($_POST['password'], PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

// Example of using prepared statements for user authentication
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?");
$stmt->execute([$_POST['username']]);
$user = $stmt->fetch();

if ($user && password_verify($_POST['password'], $user['password'])) {
    // User authentication successful
} else {
    // User authentication failed
}

Keywords

PHP MySQL user authentication security password hashing

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