What are the best practices for troubleshooting SMTP connection issues in PHP?

When troubleshooting SMTP connection issues in PHP, it is important to check the SMTP server settings, firewall settings, and network connectivity. Ensure that the SMTP server address, port, username, and password are correct. Also, check if the firewall is blocking the outgoing connections. Testing the connection using a simple PHP script can help identify and resolve any issues.

<?php
// Define SMTP server settings
$smtpServer = 'smtp.example.com';
$port = 587;
$username = 'your_username';
$password = 'your_password';

// Create an instance of PHPMailer
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

require 'path/to/PHPMailer/src/Exception.php';
require 'path/to/PHPMailer/src/PHPMailer.php';
require 'path/to/PHPMailer/src/SMTP.php';

$mail = new PHPMailer();

// Set SMTP server settings
$mail->isSMTP();
$mail->Host = $smtpServer;
$mail->Port = $port;
$mail->SMTPAuth = true;
$mail->Username = $username;
$mail->Password = $password;

// Test the SMTP connection
if($mail->smtpConnect()){
    echo 'SMTP connection successful';
} else {
    echo 'SMTP connection failed';
}
?>