Why is it recommended to use mysqli_* or PDO instead of mysql_* functions in PHP for database interactions?

It is recommended to use mysqli_* or PDO instead of mysql_* functions in PHP for database interactions because the mysql_* functions are deprecated as of PHP 5.5.0 and removed in PHP 7.0.0. Using mysqli_* or PDO provides better security, prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks, and support for multiple database types.

// Using mysqli_* functions
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";

// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Perform database operations here

// Close connection
$conn->close();