What are best practices for structuring URLs in PHP applications to avoid conflicts with .htaccess rules?

When structuring URLs in PHP applications, it is important to avoid conflicts with .htaccess rules by ensuring that the URLs are clean, descriptive, and follow a consistent pattern. One way to achieve this is by using a front controller pattern, where all requests are routed through a single PHP file that handles the logic for routing and processing the request. This allows for better control over the URLs and avoids conflicts with .htaccess rules.

<?php
// index.php

// Get the requested URL
$request_uri = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

// Route the request based on the URL
switch ($request_uri) {
    case '/':
        // Handle homepage request
        break;
    case '/about':
        // Handle about page request
        break;
    default:
        // Handle 404 error
        http_response_code(404);
        echo '404 Not Found';
        break;
}