Most Common Mistakes PHP Developers Make

Most Common Mistakes PHP Developers Make

The technological upgrades have brought a major change. It has eased the job of the developers. For instance, PHP is one such development that makes it quite easy for developers to build a web-based system. It is because of the convenience and the features of the platform that it has received such great popularity. But one needs to understand that PHP is a sophisticated language. There are a lot of challenges the developers can face. This can result in long hours of debugging. When this happens, the PHP developers end up making mistakes that can be time-consuming.

The guide throws light on the common mistakes that PHP developers make. It will help stay current to avoid such situations in the future.

1. Using the MySQL extension

Although it is known using the SQL database is no longer helpful, especially MySQL, the developers are still after it. The MySQL extension is officially rejected. It is unreliable, insecure, and in no way supports SSL. Besides, it is also missing some modern MySQL features. This generates a depreciation notice that likely will break your app.

Instead of using MySQL, the PHP developers need to focus more on the alternatives. For instance, MySQLi is a simple option for easily carrying on with the job.

2. Suppressing the errors

During the PHP development, the developers can face a lot of errors. But it is absolutely easy for the developers to manually suppress them. This will be useful when you have got errors that are not serious and will not cause any effects. For instance, you can easily suppress the warning messages about the PHP versions.

@ is used for suppressing errors when you do not require them. However, remember to use it with caution. It can sometimes result in unforeseen issues. But remember, as a developer, it will be beneficial if you start handling the errors rather than suppressing them for convenience. It will work well for you in the long run.

3. Getting print out of data directly from the user input

This mistake is a lot similar to not securing the SQL code error. This can result in SQL injection security flaws. This can happen when developers get the printout data directly from the user. Let’s consider a scenario where you got an input text box named “first name.” Now you wish to script to display Hello, $first name to the viewer. For this, you can make use of the code.

Welcome < ?php echo $ _POST[“first name”];?>

But what if the user enters a wrong code <script>alert(‘hello’);</script>? Although it is a minor error that no one would notice but the problem here is allowing the JavaScript to run indiscriminately in the browser. When it runs on the browser from the user input, the attackers can use XSS to steal passwords.

The hackers can get creative with the script and can perform a number of attacks, including sneaky redirects, phishing, and hijacking. So instead of printing user input, you need to take out any HTML tags of the output, especially those like script tags. This will help avoid any issue with the JavaScript code from running on the user’s computer. Such a type of attack is commonly known as an XSS attack. It allows the attacker to run JA code that could potentially risk the entire application.

4. Forgetting to remove development configurations

As a developer, it is quite important to have a development environment that duplicates the production environment of the live code. In some cases, the developer might rush and forget to remove the development variables and configurations and then upload it all by accident to the production environment. This can be a huge disaster for a live application.

There are now many new developers who are trying to skip the staging environment and move directly from development to production. Thus, saving time. This is a huge mistake because staging is important for identifying problems you didn’t catch during the development phase. If you accidentally forget to remove configurations or if you fail to find any bugs, you can still catch them before they reach production.

This is why it is crucial to have a staging environment and use it even if you make minimal changes. It is a good idea to check the code in staging before it moves to production. No doubt, the PHP development process is highly complicated. But the developer must stay attentive throughout the process to avoid any severe concerns.

5. Forgetting to run backup

Running a backup might seem easy, but many PHP developers have poor backup practices. It is crucial that you back up every day. If you have got significant work on a project, just remember that the backups will save you hours of recording. So instead of losing your data, it will be beneficial if you have a backup of it all.

If you are facing difficulty identifying the problem in your code, you can simply back up the system so that you do not lose the solution or the work hours. The backup will be helpful for you to save all the files so there is nothing to redo.

Throughout the PHP development process, it will be beneficial to keep a backup for your clients, and in rare cases, there can be a critical failure. It will be a nice tester, and you can help your client escape a potentially tough situation.

Conclusion

Many PHP developers generally encounter these common mistakes when learning PHP development. It is all a part of the learning process. Just like any other skill, it requires practice to master. Luckily with Gaurish Technologies Pvt. Ltd., there is nothing to worry. They have got highly skilled professionals who can handle the job well. They can provide you all the services right from SEO to website management. With over years of experience in the industry their experts are prepared to take care of your needs. So, wait no longer and outsource the services to get the right expert help you need for better growth and success in the market.