What role does server-side processing play in handling form submissions in PHP?

Server-side processing in PHP plays a crucial role in handling form submissions by validating and sanitizing user input to prevent security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting attacks. It also allows for the processing of form data, such as storing it in a database or sending it via email.

<?php
// Check if form is submitted
if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
    // Validate and sanitize form data
    $name = htmlspecialchars($_POST["name"]);
    $email = filter_var($_POST["email"], FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL);
    
    // Process form data (e.g. store in database or send via email)
    // Code for processing form data goes here
}
?>