What are the implications of using the LIKE operator instead of the = operator in SQL queries within a PHP application?

Using the LIKE operator instead of the = operator in SQL queries can lead to potential SQL injection vulnerabilities if user input is not properly sanitized. To prevent this, it is important to use prepared statements with parameterized queries in PHP to ensure that input is properly escaped before being executed. 

// Using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=localhost;dbname=myDB", $username, $password);

// Prepare a statement
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username");

// Bind parameters
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username, PDO::PARAM_STR);

// Execute the query
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch results
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();

Keywords

LIKE operator = operator SQL queries PHP application implications

Related Questions