What are the differences between using $_GET and $_POST in PHP for retrieving form data and how can they impact SQL queries?

When retrieving form data in PHP, using $_GET sends the data through the URL while using $_POST sends the data through the HTTP request body. This means that data sent via $_GET is visible in the URL, while data sent via $_POST is not. When using form data in SQL queries, it is important to sanitize the input to prevent SQL injection attacks, regardless of whether $_GET or $_POST is used. 

// Using $_POST to retrieve form data and sanitize it before using in SQL query
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];

// Sanitize input to prevent SQL injection
$username = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $username);
$password = mysqli_real_escape_string($conn, $password);

// Use the sanitized input in SQL query
$sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username='$username' AND password='$password'";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

Keywords

$_GET $_POST form data SQL queries impact

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