What is the recommended placement for session_start() in a PHP file?

It is recommended to place the session_start() function at the very beginning of your PHP file, before any other output is sent to the browser. This ensures that the session is started before any session variables are accessed or modified. Placing session_start() at the beginning of the file helps prevent any headers already being sent error messages.

<?php
session_start();

// Rest of your PHP code goes here
?>