What are the potential pitfalls of trying to read a PHP file from an external server?

Potential pitfalls of trying to read a PHP file from an external server include security risks, such as exposing sensitive information or executing malicious code. To avoid these pitfalls, it is recommended to use secure methods for accessing external files, such as using HTTPS and validating user input.

$url = 'https://example.com/file.php';
$contents = file_get_contents($url);
if ($contents !== false) {
    // Process the contents of the file
    echo $contents;
} else {
    echo 'Error reading file from external server';
}