What are the potential limitations or drawbacks of using sessions for a reload barrier?

Using sessions for a reload barrier can lead to potential limitations such as increased server load and scalability issues, as each user session requires server-side storage and management. Additionally, sessions may not be reliable in cases where users disable cookies or use private browsing modes. To address these limitations, consider implementing a token-based reload barrier system that generates unique tokens for each request and validates them on the server side.

session_start();

// Generate a unique token for the current request
$token = md5(uniqid(rand(), true));
$_SESSION['reload_token'] = $token;

// Validate the token on subsequent requests
if(isset($_SESSION['reload_token']) && $_POST['reload_token'] === $_SESSION['reload_token']) {
    // Reload barrier passed, continue with processing the request
} else {
    // Reload barrier failed, handle accordingly (e.g. redirect to an error page)
}