What best practices should be followed when dealing with variable names and data retrieval in PHP?

When dealing with variable names and data retrieval in PHP, it is important to use descriptive and meaningful variable names to improve code readability and maintainability. Additionally, it is good practice to sanitize user input to prevent security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection attacks. Utilizing prepared statements when interacting with a database can also enhance security and prevent against SQL injection.

// Example of using descriptive variable names and sanitizing user input
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];

// Sanitize user input
$username = filter_var($username, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
$password = filter_var($password, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Example of using prepared statements for database interaction
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username AND password = :password");
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->bindParam(':password', $password);
$stmt->execute();