What are the potential pitfalls of using the mysql extension in PHP and why should mysqli or PDO be used instead?

The mysql extension in PHP is deprecated and no longer maintained, making it vulnerable to security risks and compatibility issues with newer versions of PHP. It is recommended to use mysqli or PDO instead, as they offer more secure and flexible options for interacting with databases.

// Using mysqli to connect to a MySQL database
$mysqli = new mysqli('localhost', 'username', 'password', 'database_name');

if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
    die('Connection failed: ' . $mysqli->connect_error);
}