What are the potential drawbacks of using basic PHP functions like mail() for sending emails from a website, and how can they be mitigated?

Potential drawbacks of using the basic PHP mail() function include lack of proper error handling, potential for emails to be marked as spam, and limited functionality for advanced email features. To mitigate these issues, consider using a library like PHPMailer which provides better error handling, supports SMTP authentication for sending emails securely, and offers more features for creating professional emails. 

// Example code using PHPMailer library to send emails securely

use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\PHPMailer;
use PHPMailer\PHPMailer\Exception;

require 'vendor/autoload.php'; // Include PHPMailer library

// Create a new PHPMailer instance
$mail = new PHPMailer(true);

try {
    // Server settings
    $mail->isSMTP();
    $mail->Host = 'smtp.example.com';
    $mail->SMTPAuth = true;
    $mail->Username = 'your@example.com';
    $mail->Password = 'your_password';
    $mail->SMTPSecure = 'tls';
    $mail->Port = 587;

    // Recipient
    $mail->setFrom('from@example.com', 'Your Name');
    $mail->addAddress('recipient@example.com', 'Recipient Name');

    // Content
    $mail->isHTML(true);
    $mail->Subject = 'Subject';
    $mail->Body    = 'Email body';

    // Send email
    $mail->send();
    echo 'Email sent successfully';
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo 'Message could not be sent. Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;
}

Keywords

PHP mail() drawbacks email mitigation

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