What are the best practices for implementing password protection on a PHP page that is not directly linked?

When implementing password protection on a PHP page that is not directly linked, it is important to use a strong password and encrypt it for security. One common approach is to store the hashed password in a database and compare it with the hashed input password when a user tries to access the protected page. Additionally, it is recommended to use HTTPS to encrypt the data transmission between the user and the server for added security.

<?php
// Check if the user is authorized to access the page
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
    $password = "your_password_here";
    $hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

    if (isset($_POST['password'])) {
        if (password_verify($_POST['password'], $hashed_password)) {
            // User is authorized, display the protected content
            echo "Welcome to the protected page!";
        } else {
            // Incorrect password, display an error message
            echo "Incorrect password. Please try again.";
        }
    }
}
?>

<form method="post">
    <label for="password">Password:</label>
    <input type="password" id="password" name="password">
    <input type="submit" value="Submit">
</form>