What are the advantages and disadvantages of using AJAX in conjunction with PHP for handling XML notifications?

When using AJAX in conjunction with PHP for handling XML notifications, one advantage is that it allows for asynchronous communication between the client and server, resulting in faster and more responsive web applications. However, a disadvantage is that it can make the code more complex and harder to maintain compared to traditional synchronous requests.

<?php
// PHP code snippet for handling XML notifications using AJAX

// Check if the request is an AJAX request
if(isset($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {
    
    // Process the XML data received from the client
    $xmlData = file_get_contents("php://input");
    $xml = simplexml_load_string($xmlData);

    // Handle the XML data accordingly
    // For example, send a notification email based on the XML content

    // Send a response back to the client
    echo "Notification handled successfully";
} else {
    // Return an error if the request is not an AJAX request
    http_response_code(400);
    echo "Bad Request";
}
?>