What potential pitfalls should be considered when developing a plugin system in PHP?

One potential pitfall when developing a plugin system in PHP is the risk of security vulnerabilities if plugins are not properly sanitized and validated. To mitigate this risk, it is important to thoroughly review and test each plugin before allowing it to be executed within the system. Additionally, implementing proper error handling and logging mechanisms can help identify and address any issues that may arise from plugin execution.

// Example of sanitizing and validating a plugin before execution

$pluginCode = $_POST['plugin_code'];

// Sanitize and validate the plugin code
if (validatePlugin($pluginCode)) {
    // Execute the plugin code
    eval($pluginCode);
} else {
    // Log error or display error message
    echo "Invalid plugin code";
}

function validatePlugin($pluginCode) {
    // Add your validation logic here
    // For example, check if the code contains any malicious commands
    // Return true if the plugin code is valid, false otherwise
}