What are best practices for securely storing and comparing passwords in PHP databases?

Storing passwords securely in PHP databases involves hashing the passwords before storing them and comparing hashed passwords during login authentication. It is recommended to use a strong hashing algorithm like bcrypt and salt the passwords to add an extra layer of security. 

// Storing password securely
$password = 'user_password';
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

// Comparing passwords securely
$user_input_password = 'user_input_password';
$stored_hashed_password = 'hashed_password_from_database';

if (password_verify($user_input_password, $stored_hashed_password)) {
    // Passwords match, proceed with login
} else {
    // Passwords do not match, authentication failed
}

Keywords

password hashing bcrypt password_verify password_hash SQL injection

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