What are the implications of relying on server-specific environment variables like $_SERVER['MYSQL_HOME'] in PHP scripts for cross-platform compatibility?

Relying on server-specific environment variables like $_SERVER['MYSQL_HOME'] in PHP scripts can lead to issues with cross-platform compatibility because these variables may not be available or set differently on different server configurations. To ensure cross-platform compatibility, it is recommended to use a more standardized approach, such as configuring database connection settings in a separate configuration file that can be easily adjusted for different environments. 

// config.php
$db_host = 'localhost';
$db_user = 'username';
$db_pass = 'password';
$db_name = 'database_name';

// db_connection.php
require_once('config.php');

$conn = new mysqli($db_host, $db_user, $db_pass, $db_name);

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

Keywords

PHP server-specific environment variables cross-platform compatibility $_SERVER MYSQL_HOME

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