MySQL Prepared Statements: Beyond Escaping

While manual escaping is a common approach for safeguarding against SQL injection, it can be error-prone. PDO (PHP Data Objects) offers a robust alternative within standard MySQL.

PDO ensures that all database input is treated as text, eliminating the need for manual escaping. This approach, combined with proper HTML entity encoding for data display, provides a solid defense against injection.

To establish a database connection with PDO, create a database object:

try {
    $db = new PDO("mysql:host=[hostname];dbname=[database]", '[username]', '[password]');
    $db->setAttribute(PDO::MYSQL_ATTR_INIT_COMMAND, "SET NAMES utf8");
    $db->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
    $db->exec('SET NAMES utf8');
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    echo $e->getMessage();
}

To prepare a query, use the prepare method:

$stmt = $db->prepare('SELECT * FROM Table WHERE id = ?');

Bind values to the query's placeholders using the bindParam method:

$stmt->bindParam(1, $id);

Execute the query using the execute method:

$stmt->execute();

PDO offers numerous advantages:

• Automatic text data handling: Eliminates the need for manual escaping.
• Simplified query building: Uses placeholders to prevent injection.
• Exception handling: Provides comprehensive error handling capabilities.

Remember to always use PDO for database connections and combine it with proper HTML entity encoding for secure data handling. PDO provides a robust and efficient way to safeguard your applications from SQL injection.