What are some best practices for securely storing data in PHP applications?

To securely store data in PHP applications, it is important to use encryption techniques such as bcrypt for passwords and AES for sensitive data. It is also recommended to store sensitive information in environment variables or configuration files outside the web root to prevent direct access. Additionally, always validate and sanitize user input to prevent SQL injection and other vulnerabilities.

// Example of securely storing a password using bcrypt
$password = 'mySecurePassword';
$hashedPassword = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);
echo $hashedPassword;