What are the potential drawbacks of using external APIs like Google Maps for postal code validation in PHP?

Using external APIs like Google Maps for postal code validation in PHP can introduce dependencies on third-party services, which may lead to potential issues such as downtime, rate limiting, or changes in API behavior. To mitigate these risks, consider implementing local validation logic for postal codes as a fallback option in case the external API is unavailable. 

// Function to validate postal code using Google Maps API as primary option and local validation as fallback
function validatePostalCode($postalCode) {
    // Call Google Maps API for postal code validation
    // If API call fails or returns an error, fallback to local validation logic
    if (apiCallSuccessful()) {
        return true;
    } else {
        // Local validation logic
        if (preg_match('/^[0-9]{5}$/', $postalCode)) {
            return true;
        } else {
            return false;
        }
    }
}

Keywords

external APIs Google Maps postal code validation drawbacks PHP

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