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

When handling user authentication in PHP applications, it is important to follow best practices to ensure the security of user data. This includes using secure password hashing algorithms, storing passwords securely, implementing account lockout mechanisms for failed login attempts, and using HTTPS to encrypt data transmission. 

// Example of secure password hashing using PHP's password_hash() function
$password = 'password123';
$hashedPassword = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Example of verifying a password using PHP's password_verify() function
$loginPassword = 'password123';
if (password_verify($loginPassword, $hashedPassword)) {
    echo 'Password is correct!';
} else {
    echo 'Password is incorrect!';
}

Keywords

password hashing session management CSRF protection secure cookie handling two-factor authentication

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