What are the potential pitfalls of sharing PHP code online?

One potential pitfall of sharing PHP code online is the risk of exposing sensitive information, such as database credentials or API keys. To mitigate this risk, it is essential to thoroughly review the code before sharing it and remove any sensitive information. Additionally, consider using environment variables or configuration files to store sensitive data securely.

// Example of securely storing database credentials in a configuration file

$config = include('config.php');

$servername = $config['servername'];
$username = $config['username'];
$password = $config['password'];
$dbname = $config['dbname'];

// Connect to the database using the credentials
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}