What are some alternative methods for safeguarding the source code of a PHP website that do not involve hiding or encrypting it?

To safeguard the source code of a PHP website without hiding or encrypting it, one alternative method is to implement code obfuscation. Code obfuscation involves transforming the source code into a more complex and difficult-to-understand form, making it harder for potential attackers to reverse engineer or copy the code.

// Example of implementing code obfuscation in PHP
function obfuscateCode($code) {
    $obfuscatedCode = base64_encode($code);
    return $obfuscatedCode;
}

// Usage
$sourceCode = "<?php echo 'Hello, World!'; ?>";
$obfuscatedSourceCode = obfuscateCode($sourceCode);
echo $obfuscatedSourceCode;