What are best practices for URL rewriting in PHP, and how can it improve security?

URL rewriting in PHP can improve security by making URLs more user-friendly, improving search engine optimization, and preventing direct access to sensitive files. One best practice for URL rewriting is to use mod_rewrite in Apache to rewrite URLs in a consistent and predictable manner. This can be achieved by creating a .htaccess file in the root directory of your website and specifying rewrite rules to redirect requests to the appropriate PHP script.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?url=$1 [QSA,L]