What are the best practices for securely handling and processing user passwords in PHP, especially when not using a database like MySQL?

Storing passwords securely is crucial for protecting user data. One common practice is to use hashing algorithms like bcrypt to securely store passwords in PHP. This ensures that even if the database is compromised, the passwords are not easily accessible.

// Hashing password using bcrypt
$password = "user_password";
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

// Verifying hashed password
if (password_verify($password, $hashed_password)) {
    echo "Password matched!";
} else {
    echo "Password does not match!";
}