MySQLi's `or die`: Security Risk or Necessary Evil?

Do You Really Need or die with MySQLi?

It's common practice to use or die with MySQLi queries, as seen in the code below:

$update_result = mysqli_query( $link , $sql_update_login ) or die ('Unable to execute query. '. mysqli_error($link));

However, there are downsides to this approach:

• Security risks: die can reveal sensitive system information to attackers.
• User confusion: Error messages can be confusing to non-technical users.
• Incomplete execution: die halts the script prematurely, leaving users without a friendly interface.
• Lack of error location: die offers no indication of where the error occurred.

Instead of manually checking for errors, consider configuring MySQLi to throw exceptions on error:

mysqli_report(MYSQLI_REPORT_ERROR | MYSQLI_REPORT_STRICT);

This way, any mysqli command can be written without the need for or die:

$result = mysqli_query($link, $sql);

In the event of an error, an exception will be thrown, providing detailed information about the issue.

For a more thorough approach to production-ready, uniform, and efficient error reporting in PHP, refer to the article on PHP error reporting.

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