What is the significance of using double backslashes or forward slashes in file paths in PHP?

When working with file paths in PHP, it is important to use double backslashes (\\) or forward slashes (/) to ensure compatibility across different operating systems. This is because Windows uses backslashes (\) as the directory separator while Unix-based systems (like Linux and macOS) use forward slashes (/). By using double backslashes or forward slashes in file paths, you can ensure that your code will work correctly on any operating system.

// Using double backslashes in file paths
$file_path = 'C:\\xampp\\htdocs\\example\\file.txt';

// Using forward slashes in file paths
$file_path = 'C:/xampp/htdocs/example/file.txt';