Learn indexes, EXPLAIN, when to add them, and why over-indexing slows writes.
Learn scalar subqueries, IN, NOT IN, EXISTS, correlated subqueries, and derived tables.
PHP performance — OpCache, fixing N+1 queries, APCu caching, and profiling with Xdebug.
Learn SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and secure file uploads — the top PHP security threats and their defences.
Learn validation vs sanitization, filter_var, custom rules, and a reusable Validator class.
Learn PHP magic methods — __construct, __destruct, __get, __set, __toString, __invoke.