What is the significance of using parameterized queries in PHP when fetching data from a database?

Using parameterized queries in PHP when fetching data from a database is significant because it helps prevent SQL injection attacks by automatically escaping special characters in the input data. This ensures that the input data is treated as data and not as part of the SQL query, making the query safe and secure.

// Using parameterized query to fetch data from a database
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username');
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->execute();
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();