The php Function Filter_var
PHP supports a wide range of built-in filters to validate and sanitize user input. While sanitization ensures that data is in a proper format, validation also checks whether it meets certain criteria.
The php function filter_var is used to check the given variable against the specified filter. It is useful for checking the validity of various data types such as email, URL, IP address, and numbers. This function is very helpful in preventing security breaches by validating the data.
This function has two required parameters – the variable to be filtered and the type of filter to use. It also takes an optional third parameter to specify additional filter options. The function returns the filtered variable on success and false on failure.
Filter_var is a very useful function but it has some limitations. For instance, it cannot validate non-Latin domain names. However, this can be resolved by using regular expressions instead.
There are many different filters and flags available for the filter_var function in PHP. Some filters are more restrictive than others and have specific requirements for which they should be used. Some of the most common filters include: