What are some common mistakes to avoid when working with file uploads and image processing in PHP?

One common mistake to avoid when working with file uploads and image processing in PHP is not validating file types before processing them. This can lead to security vulnerabilities such as allowing malicious files to be uploaded and executed on the server. To prevent this, always check the file type before processing it.

// Check file type before processing
$allowedTypes = ['image/jpeg', 'image/png', 'image/gif'];

if (!in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], $allowedTypes)) {
    die('Invalid file type. Only JPEG, PNG, and GIF files are allowed.');
}

// Process the file
// Add your image processing code here