What is the significance of using != versus !== in PHP for cookie comparison?

When comparing values in PHP, using != checks for equality after type conversion, while using !== checks for strict equality without type conversion. When comparing cookie values, it is important to use !== to ensure that both the value and the type match exactly.

// Using !== for strict comparison when comparing cookie values
if ($_COOKIE['cookie_name'] !== 'expected_value') {
    // Handle mismatch
}