Why is it recommended to use mysqli or PDO instead of mysql in PHP?

It is recommended to use mysqli or PDO instead of mysql in PHP because the mysql extension has been deprecated since PHP 5.5 and removed in PHP 7. Additionally, mysqli and PDO offer better security features such as prepared statements and parameterized queries, which help prevent SQL injection attacks. Using mysqli or PDO also allows for better support of newer MySQL features and better compatibility with different database systems.

// Using mysqli to connect to a MySQL database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "myDB";

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

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