What are some potential pitfalls of using the mysql_* extension in PHP, and what are the recommended alternatives?
Using the mysql_* extension in PHP is deprecated and poses security risks due to potential SQL injection vulnerabilities. It is recommended to use either the mysqli or PDO extensions, which offer improved security features and support for prepared statements.
// Using mysqli extension as an alternative to mysql_*
$mysqli = new mysqli('localhost', 'username', 'password', 'database_name');
if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
die('Connection failed: ' . $mysqli->connect_error);
}
// Using PDO extension as an alternative to mysql_*
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=database_name', 'username', 'password');
$pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);