What are the best practices for storing and validating passwords in PHP applications?

Storing and validating passwords securely is crucial for protecting user data in PHP applications. Best practices include using a strong hashing algorithm like bcrypt, salting the passwords before hashing, and using password policies to enforce complexity requirements. 

// Storing passwords securely
$password = 'user_password';
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

// Validating passwords
$entered_password = 'user_input_password';
$stored_hash = 'hashed_password_from_database';

if (password_verify($entered_password, $stored_hash)) {
    // Password is correct
    echo 'Password is valid';
} else {
    // Password is incorrect
    echo 'Password is invalid';
}

Keywords

password hashing password salting password validation PHP password_hash PHP password_verify

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