What are the recommended methods for handling passwords securely in PHP?

Storing passwords securely in PHP is crucial to protect user data. One recommended method is to use PHP's password_hash() function to securely hash passwords before storing them in a database. When verifying passwords, use password_verify() to compare the user input with the hashed password.

// Hashing a password before storing it
$password = 'user_password';
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Verifying a password
$user_input = 'user_input_password';
if (password_verify($user_input, $hashed_password)) {
    echo 'Password is correct';
} else {
    echo 'Password is incorrect';
}