How to Completely End a Session, Even with an Open Browser

When a user logs out of a website but leaves their browser open, it's crucial to ensure their session is entirely terminated. However, conventional methods using session_start(), unset($_SESSION), session_unset() and session_destroy() may not be sufficient for this task.

According to PHP documentation, to thoroughly end a session, the session ID must also be deleted. If cookies are used to transmit the session ID, they need to be erased. setcookie() can be employed to achieve this.

Below is a comprehensive example borrowed from the PHP manual:

By following this updated approach, you can effectively eliminate all traces of a session, ensuring the user's sensitive information is protected even if they keep their browser open.