What best practices should be followed when using AJAX to update content in PHP?

When using AJAX to update content in PHP, it is important to follow best practices to ensure smooth functionality and security. One key practice is to sanitize user input to prevent SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks. Additionally, always validate and sanitize data before using it in queries or displaying it on the page. Lastly, consider implementing server-side validation to ensure that only valid data is being processed.

// Example of sanitizing user input in PHP
$userInput = $_POST['user_input'];
$cleanInput = filter_var($userInput, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
// Use $cleanInput in your query or display it on the page