What are the best practices for handling session management and user authentication in PHP applications?

Session management and user authentication are critical aspects of securing PHP applications. To handle session management securely, it is recommended to use built-in PHP session functions, store session data securely, and regenerate session IDs to prevent session fixation attacks. For user authentication, always use password hashing functions like password_hash() and password_verify(), validate user input, and implement secure login/logout mechanisms. 

// Start the session
session_start();

// Regenerate session ID to prevent session fixation attacks
session_regenerate_id(true);

// User authentication example
if ($_POST['username'] == 'admin' && password_verify($_POST['password'], $hashed_password)) {
    $_SESSION['authenticated'] = true;
    header('Location: dashboard.php');
    exit;
} else {
    echo 'Invalid username or password';
}

// Secure logout mechanism
session_unset();
session_destroy();
header('Location: login.php');
exit;

Keywords

session management user authentication PHP applications security cookies

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