What are the best practices for handling file paths and variables when using the exec function in PHP?

When using the exec function in PHP, it is important to properly handle file paths and variables to prevent security vulnerabilities such as command injection. To do this, always sanitize and validate user input before using it in the exec function. Use absolute file paths instead of relative paths to avoid any unexpected behavior. 

// Sanitize and validate user input before using it in exec
$user_input = filter_var($_POST['user_input'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Use absolute file paths instead of relative paths
$absolute_path = '/path/to/your/directory/';

// Execute command using sanitized input and absolute path
exec("command " . escapeshellarg($user_input) . " " . $absolute_path);

Keywords

file paths variables exec function PHP handling

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