What are the benefits of avoiding SELECT * in SQL queries and how can it improve performance in PHP applications?

Avoiding SELECT * in SQL queries can improve performance in PHP applications by reducing the amount of data fetched from the database and minimizing network traffic. By specifying only the columns needed in the SELECT statement, unnecessary data processing and memory usage can be avoided. This can result in faster query execution times and improved overall application performance.

// Instead of using SELECT *
$query = "SELECT * FROM users";

// Use specific column names
$query = "SELECT id, username, email FROM users";