What are the drawbacks of using the mysql_ functions in PHP for database queries, and what alternative should be considered?

Using the mysql_ functions in PHP for database queries is not recommended as they are deprecated and insecure. Instead, developers should consider using mysqli or PDO for more secure and modern database interactions.

// Using mysqli for database queries
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $mysqli->connect_error);
}

// Perform a query
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT * FROM table");

// Fetch data
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    // Process data
}

// Close connection
$mysqli->close();