What are some best practices for handling user account deletion in PHP to prevent accidental data loss?

When handling user account deletion in PHP, it is crucial to implement a confirmation step to prevent accidental data loss. This can be achieved by prompting the user to confirm their action before proceeding with the deletion. Additionally, it is recommended to soft delete the user account by marking it as inactive instead of permanently removing it from the database. 

<?php
// Check if the delete button is clicked
if(isset($_POST['delete'])){
    // Prompt user for confirmation
    echo "Are you sure you want to delete your account?";
    
    // If confirmed, soft delete the user account
    // Update user status to inactive in the database
}
?>

Keywords

data validation database transactions soft delete user confirmation error handling

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