What are some common tools or methods for checking if a PHP script is running and has successfully completed on a server?

When running PHP scripts on a server, it is important to have a way to check if the script is running and has successfully completed its execution. One common method is to use log files to track the progress and status of the script. By logging specific messages at different stages of the script, you can easily monitor its progress and identify any errors or issues that may arise.

// Example of logging messages in a PHP script
$logFile = 'script_log.txt';

// Log a message at the beginning of the script
$logMessage = "Script started at " . date('Y-m-d H:i:s') . "\n";
file_put_contents($logFile, $logMessage, FILE_APPEND);

// Perform the operations of the script
// ...

// Log a message at the end of the script
$logMessage = "Script completed at " . date('Y-m-d H:i:s') . "\n";
file_put_contents($logFile, $logMessage, FILE_APPEND);