What are some common pitfalls to avoid when creating a login script in PHP?

One common pitfall to avoid when creating a login script in PHP is storing passwords in plain text. Instead, passwords should be securely hashed before being stored in the database. Another pitfall is not properly sanitizing user input, which can lead to SQL injection attacks. Additionally, failing to implement proper session management can leave your application vulnerable to session hijacking.

// Example of securely hashing passwords before storing them
$password = password_hash($_POST['password'], PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Example of sanitizing user input to prevent SQL injection
$username = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $_POST['username']);

// Example of implementing proper session management
session_start();
$_SESSION['logged_in'] = true;