What are the advantages of using mysqli_* or PDO functions over mysql_* functions in PHP for database interactions?

Using mysqli_* or PDO functions over mysql_* functions in PHP for database interactions is recommended because mysql_* functions are deprecated as of PHP 5.5.0 and removed in PHP 7. Additionally, mysqli_* and PDO functions provide better security by supporting prepared statements which help prevent SQL injection attacks. They also offer better support for transactions and multiple database connections. 

// Using mysqli_* functions
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $mysqli->connect_error);
}

$sql = "SELECT * FROM table";
$result = $mysqli->query($sql);

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
        echo "ID: " . $row["id"] . " - Name: " . $row["name"] . "<br>";
    }
} else {
    echo "0 results";
}

$mysqli->close();

Keywords

mysqli PDO mysql database interactions PHP

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