What is the purpose of using shell_exec in PHP code?

Using shell_exec in PHP allows you to execute shell commands from within your PHP code. This can be useful for tasks such as running system commands, executing scripts, or interacting with the command line. However, it is important to use shell_exec with caution as it can pose security risks if not properly sanitized.

// Example of using shell_exec to execute a shell command
$output = shell_exec('ls -l');
echo "<pre>$output</pre>";