What are the common pitfalls when using PHP for database operations like reading, writing, and deleting records?

One common pitfall when using PHP for database operations is not properly sanitizing user input, which can lead to SQL injection attacks. To prevent this, always use prepared statements or parameterized queries to bind variables to SQL queries. 

// Example of using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username");
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->execute();
```

Another common pitfall is not handling database connection errors gracefully, which can result in a poor user experience. Always check for errors when connecting to the database and handle them appropriately.

```php
// Example of handling database connection errors
try {
    $pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    die("Error connecting to database: " . $e->getMessage());
}
```

Lastly, not properly closing database connections can lead to resource leaks and potential performance issues. Always remember to close the database connection when you are done using it.

```php
// Example of closing a database connection
$pdo = null;

Keywords

SQL injection PDO prepared statements error handling data validation

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