What is the purpose of using the PHP session_start() function in the provided code?

The purpose of using the PHP session_start() function in the provided code is to start a new or resume an existing session. This function initializes session data and allows you to store variables that can be accessed across multiple pages of a website. It is necessary to call session_start() at the beginning of any PHP script that needs to work with session variables.

<?php
session_start();

// Your PHP code here
?>