What best practices should be followed when inserting data into a MySQL database using PHP to avoid errors like "Duplicate entry"?

When inserting data into a MySQL database using PHP, it is important to check for duplicate entries before attempting to insert the data. One way to avoid "Duplicate entry" errors is to use the INSERT IGNORE or ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE query to handle duplicate entries gracefully. This will prevent the script from failing and allow you to handle the situation appropriately.

// Connect to the database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Check for duplicate entry before inserting
$query = "INSERT IGNORE INTO table_name (column1, column2) VALUES ('value1', 'value2')";
$mysqli->query($query);

// Close the database connection
$mysqli->close();