Protecting Your Data with Sessions

Summary

This chapter has been a brief introduction to one of the main uses of PHP sessions: restricting access to web pages in a seamless fashion without the need to locate everything in a dedicated folder. Session variables can be used anywhere you have a need for maintaining continuity. Once a visitor has been given a session identity, session variables associated with that visitor’s computer can be accessed by any PHP script until the variable is explicitly unset or the session is brought to an end. In the Flash context, the main value of sessions lies in user authentication in combination with a database.

Although sessions provide a simple and effective way of controlling access, they should not be confused with secure connections. They are not sufficient on their own for protecting hypersensitive information or financial transactions.