What are the potential risks of testing scripts directly on an internet server instead of using a local development environment in PHP?

Testing scripts directly on an internet server instead of using a local development environment in PHP can pose security risks, as any errors or vulnerabilities in the code can be exposed to the public. It is also not ideal for testing purposes, as any changes made directly to the live server can impact the functionality of the website. To mitigate these risks, it is recommended to use a local development environment to test and debug scripts before deploying them to a live server.

// Sample PHP code snippet to create a simple local development environment using XAMPP

// Start by installing XAMPP on your local machine
// Create a new folder in the 'htdocs' directory of XAMPP to store your PHP scripts
// Access your scripts through a web browser using 'localhost' followed by the folder name