What are the advantages and disadvantages of using sessions for login management in PHP?

Using sessions for login management in PHP is a common practice as it allows for storing user authentication information securely on the server-side. This helps in maintaining user sessions across multiple pages and ensuring that only authenticated users have access to certain parts of the website. However, sessions can also have disadvantages such as potential security vulnerabilities if not implemented correctly, increased server load due to session data storage, and the possibility of session hijacking.

// Start a session
session_start();

// Check if user is logged in
if(isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
    // User is logged in, allow access to restricted content
} else {
    // Redirect to login page
    header("Location: login.php");
    exit();
}