What best practices should be followed when handling user sessions in PHP scripts?

When handling user sessions in PHP scripts, it is important to follow best practices to ensure security and efficiency. This includes using secure session handling functions, setting appropriate session configurations, and validating session data to prevent unauthorized access.

// Start a secure session
session_start([
    'cookie_secure' => true,
    'cookie_httponly' => true,
    'use_cookies' => true,
    'use_only_cookies' => true,
]);

// Validate session data
if(isset($_SESSION['user_id'])){
    // User is authenticated, proceed with script
} else {
    // Redirect or handle unauthorized access
}