What are the benefits and drawbacks of using AJAX for passing PHP variables to JavaScript?

When passing PHP variables to JavaScript, using AJAX can provide benefits such as asynchronous data retrieval without refreshing the page, improved user experience, and increased performance. However, drawbacks may include potential security vulnerabilities if not properly sanitized, increased complexity in code structure, and potential compatibility issues with older browsers.

<?php
// PHP code to pass variables to JavaScript using AJAX

// Define the PHP variable to be passed
$php_variable = "Hello, World!";

// Encode the PHP variable into JSON format
$js_variable = json_encode($php_variable);

// Echo the JavaScript variable in a script tag
echo "<script>var js_variable = $js_variable;</script>";
?>