Why is it recommended to avoid using custom escaping functions like sql_escape and instead rely on the built-in escaping functions provided by the database adapter in PHP?

Using custom escaping functions like sql_escape can lead to security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection attacks. It is recommended to rely on the built-in escaping functions provided by the database adapter in PHP, such as mysqli_real_escape_string or PDO prepare statements, as they are specifically designed to safely escape user input before sending it to the database. 

// Using mysqli_real_escape_string to escape user input before sending it to the database
$connection = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Assuming $input is the user input that needs to be escaped
$input = "user input here";

// Escaping the user input using mysqli_real_escape_string
$escaped_input = mysqli_real_escape_string($connection, $input);

// Using the escaped input in a query
$query = "SELECT * FROM table WHERE column = '$escaped_input'";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Remember to also use prepared statements for more complex queries

Keywords

custom escaping functions sql_escape database adapter built-in escaping functions PHP

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