What are the best practices for handling external file inclusion in PHP scripts?

When including external files in PHP scripts, it is important to ensure that the included files are secure and cannot be manipulated by malicious users. One way to achieve this is by using the `include_once` or `require_once` functions instead of `include` or `require` to prevent the same file from being included multiple times. Additionally, it is recommended to use absolute file paths instead of relative paths to avoid potential directory traversal attacks. 

<?php
// Using require_once with absolute file path to include a file securely
require_once '/path/to/secure/file.php';
?>

Keywords

file inclusion security risks include_once require open_basedir

Related Questions