What are the potential pitfalls of using a visitor counter with an IP block feature in PHP?

Potential pitfalls of using a visitor counter with an IP block feature in PHP include the risk of blocking legitimate users who share the same IP address (such as in a corporate environment) and the possibility of false positives if the IP address changes frequently. To solve this issue, consider implementing a more sophisticated tracking system that takes into account additional factors beyond just IP address, such as user agent or cookies. 

// Example of a more sophisticated visitor tracking system in PHP
$visitor_key = md5($_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] . $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']);
$visitor_count = isset($_SESSION['visitor_count']) ? $_SESSION['visitor_count'] : 0;

if (!isset($_SESSION['visited']) || $_SESSION['visited'] != $visitor_key) {
    $_SESSION['visited'] = $visitor_key;
    $_SESSION['visitor_count'] = ++$visitor_count;
}

echo "Total visitors: " . $visitor_count;

Keywords

visitor counter IP block PHP security limitations

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