What is the purpose of using the system() function in PHP?

The system() function in PHP is used to execute an external program or command. It allows PHP to interact with the operating system and run commands that are not natively supported within PHP. This can be useful for tasks such as executing shell commands, running system scripts, or interacting with other programs on the server. Example PHP code snippet:

<?php
// Execute a shell command using the system() function
$output = system('ls -l');

// Display the output of the command
echo $output;
?>