What resources or tutorials would you recommend for a PHP beginner looking to implement secure authentication mechanisms in their code?

To implement secure authentication mechanisms in PHP, it is recommended to use password hashing functions like `password_hash()` and `password_verify()`. These functions help securely store and verify passwords without the need to manually handle encryption. Additionally, using prepared statements with PDO or MySQLi to prevent SQL injection attacks is crucial for secure authentication.

// Example of secure authentication mechanism using password hashing and prepared statements

// Hash the password before storing it in the database
$password = $_POST['password'];
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Store the hashed password in the database

// Verify the password during login
$entered_password = $_POST['password'];
$stored_password = ''; // Retrieve the hashed password from the database
if (password_verify($entered_password, $stored_password)) {
    // Password is correct, proceed with authentication
} else {
    // Password is incorrect, show error message
}