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How to display logged-in user information in PHP?

PHP Web Development Front End Technology

In this article, we will learn how to display logged-in user information using PHP sessions. When building web applications with authentication, displaying user information on various pages provides a personalized experience for users.

We can implement user authentication and display logged-in user information using PHP sessions along with HTML forms. Let's explore this with practical examples.

Basic User Authentication System

This example demonstrates a complete login system with user authentication and information display

Filename: login.php

<?php
   session_start();

   if (isset($_POST['username']) && isset($_POST['password'])) {
      $username = $_POST['username'];
      $password = $_POST['password'];

      // Check if username and password are correct
      if ($username === 'admin' && $password === 'password') {
         $_SESSION['username'] = $username;
         header('Location: dashboard.php');
         exit();
      } else {
         $error_message = 'Invalid username or password';
      }
   }
?>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
   <title>Login Page</title>
</head>
<body>
   <h2>Login</h2>
   
   <?php if (isset($error_message)): ?>
      <p style="color: red;"><?php echo $error_message; ?></p>
   <?php endif; ?>

   <form method="post">
      <label>
         Username:
         <input type="text" name="username" required>
      </label>
      <br><br>
      <label>
         Password:
         <input type="password" name="password" required>
      </label>
      <br><br>
      <button type="submit">Log In</button>
   </form>
</body>
</html>

Filename: dashboard.php

<?php
   session_start();

   // Check if user is logged in
   if (!isset($_SESSION['username'])) {
      header("Location: login.php");
      exit;
   }

   // Retrieve user information from session
   $username = $_SESSION['username'];
?>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
   <title>Dashboard</title>
</head>
<body>
   <h2>Welcome to Dashboard</h2>
   <p>Your username is: <strong><?php echo htmlspecialchars($username); ?></strong></p>
   <p><a href="logout.php">Logout</a></p>
</body>
</html>

Filename: logout.php

<?php
   session_start();

   // Unset all session variables
   $_SESSION = array();

   // Destroy the session
   session_destroy();

   // Redirect to login page
   header("Location: login.php");
   exit;
?>

Advanced User Profile Display

This example shows how to display detailed user information on a profile page

Filename: profile.php

<?php
   session_start();

   // Check if user is logged in
   if (!isset($_SESSION['username'])) {
      header("Location: login.php");
      exit;
   }

   $username = $_SESSION['username'];

   // Simulate user data (in real application, fetch from database)
   $user_info = array(
      'username' => $username,
      'name' => 'John Doe',
      'email' => 'john.doe@example.com',
      'phone' => '+1-234-567-8900',
      'role' => 'Administrator',
      'last_login' => date('Y-m-d H:i:s')
   );
?>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
   <title>User Profile</title>
   <style>
      .profile-info { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 20px; margin: 10px 0; }
   </style>
</head>
<body>
   <h1>Welcome, <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['name']); ?>!</h1>
   
   <div class="profile-info">
      <h2>Profile Information</h2>
      <p><strong>Username:</strong> <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['username']); ?></p>
      <p><strong>Full Name:</strong> <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['name']); ?></p>
      <p><strong>Email:</strong> <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['email']); ?></p>
      <p><strong>Phone:</strong> <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['phone']); ?></p>
      <p><strong>Role:</strong> <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['role']); ?></p>
      <p><strong>Last Login:</strong> <?php echo htmlspecialchars($user_info['last_login']); ?></p>
   </div>
   
   <p><a href="dashboard.php">Back to Dashboard</a> | <a href="logout.php">Logout</a></p>
</body>
</html>

Key Security Considerations

Security Practice	Purpose	Implementation
Session Management	Track logged-in users	`session_start()`, `$_SESSION`
Input Validation	Prevent injection attacks	`htmlspecialchars()`
Authentication Check	Restrict access to protected pages	`isset($_SESSION['username'])`

Note: In production applications, store user credentials securely in a database with proper password hashing using password_hash() and verify with password_verify().

Conclusion

Displaying logged-in user information in PHP requires proper session management and authentication checks. Use htmlspecialchars() to prevent XSS attacks when displaying user data, and always validate user sessions before showing sensitive information.

Dishebh Bhayana

Updated on: 2026-03-15T10:39:39+05:30

3K+ Views

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