Why is it important to include header information when working with image files in PHP, and how can omitting this information lead to errors or unexpected output?

When working with image files in PHP, it is important to include header information to specify the content type of the image being output. Omitting this information can lead to errors or unexpected output because the browser may not know how to interpret the data being sent. By including the appropriate header information, the browser can correctly display the image. 

// Set the content type header to specify that the output is an image
header('Content-Type: image/jpeg');

// Output the image file
readfile('image.jpg');

Keywords

PHP header information image files errors unexpected output

Related Questions