What are the recommended resources or documentation for PHP beginners to learn about secure coding practices and common pitfalls to avoid?
One recommended resource for PHP beginners to learn about secure coding practices and common pitfalls to avoid is the official PHP manual, which provides detailed documentation on secure coding techniques and best practices. Additionally, the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) website offers a wealth of information on web application security, including specific guidance for PHP developers. It is important for beginners to familiarize themselves with concepts such as input validation, output encoding, and secure authentication methods to prevent common security vulnerabilities in their PHP applications.
// Example of input validation to prevent SQL injection
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];
// Using prepared statements with PDO to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username AND password = :password');
$stmt->execute(['username' => $username, 'password' => $password]);
$user = $stmt->fetch();