What is the recommended alternative to using mysql_connect in PHP for database connections?

The recommended alternative to using `mysql_connect` in PHP for database connections is to use the `mysqli_connect` function or PDO (PHP Data Objects) for more secure and flexible database connections. This is because the `mysql_connect` function is deprecated in newer versions of PHP and is not recommended for use due to security vulnerabilities and lack of support. 

// Using mysqli_connect
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";

$conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Using PDO
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";

try {
    $conn = new PDO("mysql:host=$servername;dbname=$dbname", $username, $password);
    $conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
    echo "Connected successfully";
} catch(PDOException $e) {
    echo "Connection failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}

Related Questions