How to set PHP environment variables on Ubuntu

Question

I'm sure this is easy if you know how, but I don't.

I've got an ubuntu 10.04 server running PHP5 under apache, all defaults and stuff. The PHP needs some environment variables set. How do I do it?

Do I put them in the apache site config? Do I set them for the nobody user? (Who doesn't have a .profile)

Thanks!

Solution

The canonical place to set environment variables for apache in ubuntu is /etc/apache2/envvars. Note that apache would run as the www-data user, not the nobody user. www-data wouldn't have dotfiles in its home anyway.

Additionally, to make the variable available to php, I believe you will need to use PassEnv in the apache configuration

Comments

[I. Cantrell]

Looks like it should be right, but <? echo $_ENV['VAR_SET_IN_ENVVARS'] ?> isn't working. :(

[stew]

you php script is running via mod_php? or as a cgi?

[I. Cantrell]

it's running through mod_php... i'm pretty sure. it's not in a cgi-bin dir, and a2enmod php was required.

[I. Cantrell]

@zoredache yes. :)

[Vaibhav Singhal]

You can also check this... stackoverflow.com/questions/29079237/…