What are some common pitfalls to watch out for when using multiple joins in a MySQL query in PHP?

One common pitfall when using multiple joins in a MySQL query in PHP is the risk of Cartesian products, where unintended duplicate results are returned due to incorrect join conditions. To avoid this, always double-check your join conditions to ensure they are accurate and specific. Additionally, using table aliases can help clarify which columns are being used in the joins.

$query = "SELECT * FROM table1 
          JOIN table2 ON table1.id = table2.table1_id
          JOIN table3 ON table2.id = table3.table2_id";