What are some common pitfalls to avoid when trying to read and write GPS tracker data to a MySQL database using PHP?

One common pitfall to avoid when reading and writing GPS tracker data to a MySQL database using PHP is not properly sanitizing user input, which can lead to SQL injection attacks. To prevent this, always use prepared statements with bound parameters to securely interact with the database.

// Establish a connection to the MySQL database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "gps_tracker";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Prepare a SQL statement with placeholders for bound parameters
$stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO gps_data (latitude, longitude) VALUES (?, ?)");
$stmt->bind_param("dd", $latitude, $longitude);

// Set the bound parameters and execute the statement
$latitude = 37.7749;
$longitude = -122.4194;
$stmt->execute();

// Close the statement and database connection
$stmt->close();
$conn->close();