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The authoritative answer comes from the PHP process that serves an HTTP request, not from php -v in your shell. Create a temporary phpinfo() page in the virtual host you want to test, request it through the same hostname and HTTPS URL as the application, and read its Server API value. Then confirm that result against Apache’s loaded modules, virtual-host dispatch rules, and (when applicable) the PHP-FPM pool’s listening socket or port.
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Apache 2.0 Handler normally means PHP is embedded through mod_php. FPM/FastCGI means Apache is forwarding the request to PHP-FPM. CGI/FastCGI means a CGI-family path is active, but it does not by itself prove that PHP-FPM is running. The checks below also explain why the web site’s PHP version can differ from the version shown by the CLI.
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Use the web request as your starting point
A LAMP server can have several PHP installations and SAPIs (Server API implementations) at once. The command php -v reports the command-line SAPI selected by your shell’s PATH; it does not tell you which binary or handler Apache invokes for a particular virtual host. A web request can therefore use a different PHP version, configuration file, extension set, and handler.
The most reliable procedure has two parts:
- Ask the target virtual host which PHP runtime actually handled an HTTP request.
- Match that result to Apache’s module and dispatch configuration, and to a running FPM pool if the request uses FastCGI.
Do this separately for each hostname, HTTPS listener, port, or virtual host that may have its own configuration. Testing one site’s URL does not establish the handler for every site on the server.
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Create a temporary diagnostic page
1. Put the file in the tested document root
In the document root served by the virtual host, create a file such as handler-check.php containing:
<?php
phpinfo(INFO_GENERAL | INFO_CONFIGURATION | INFO_MODULES);
?>phpinfo() outputs information about PHP’s configuration, including compilation options, extensions, the PHP version, server information, and configuration paths. The selected sections are enough to identify the SAPI and the configuration files without requesting every possible diagnostic section.
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2. Request the file through the real site URL
Open the file with the same conditions used by the application:
- Use the application’s hostname, not an IP address or an unrelated default host.
- Use the same HTTP or HTTPS scheme and listener.
- Use the same port when the site is not on the standard port.
- Use the same URL path and virtual host that serves the application.
For example, if the application is reached at https://app.example.test/, request https://app.example.test/handler-check.php. A request sent to another hostname can select a different Apache virtual host and produce a correct result for the wrong site.
3. Record the fields that identify the runtime
On the resulting page, record these values before changing anything:
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- Server API
- PHP Version
- Loaded Configuration File
- Scan this dir for additional .ini files
- Additional .ini files parsed
- Server information and the web-server details shown by the page
Those fields describe the process that answered the browser request. The configuration paths are especially useful when the web runtime appears to have a different extension or setting from the CLI.
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| What the page reports | Likely handler | What must confirm it |
|---|---|---|
Apache 2.0 Handler |
Embedded mod_php | Apache’s module list should contain a PHP module; inspect the loaded PHP shared object and the PHP handler directive. |
FPM/FastCGI |
PHP-FPM reached through FastCGI, usually via mod_proxy_fcgi |
Apache should have proxy_fcgi_module loaded and the virtual host should proxy to a socket or TCP endpoint that matches a running FPM pool. |
CGI/FastCGI |
A CGI or FastCGI path; it may be classic CGI, fcgid, or another FastCGI arrangement rather than PHP-FPM | Inspect AddHandler, SetHandler, mod_cgi, mod_cgid, or fcgid configuration and look for the executable or dispatcher handling PHP files. |
These labels are recognition clues rather than a complete configuration audit. In particular, CGI/FastCGI does not prove that an FPM service is present. The Apache configuration and process manager checks below resolve that ambiguity.
Confirm the result in Apache
List loaded modules
Run the command provided by your distribution:
apachectl -M
On systems that use the Debian-style command name, use:
apache2ctl -M
Inspect the output for the module that corresponds to the web result:
- A loaded PHP module supports the embedded mod_php interpretation.
proxy_fcgi_modulesupports Apache forwarding FastCGI requests to another process.cgi_moduleorcgid_moduleindicates CGI support. It does not, by itself, identify which PHP executable or FastCGI manager is used.
The module list only tells you what Apache has loaded globally. A module can be available without being selected for a particular virtual host, so continue by inspecting the active site configuration.
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Find the virtual host and its included configuration
Locate the configuration file for the exact hostname and listener you tested. Check both the virtual-host block and files it includes. The dispatch rule is often one of the following:
AddHandler, which associates a file extension with a handler.SetHandler, which assigns a handler directly, often inside a<FilesMatch>block.ProxyPassMatch, which matches PHP paths and forwards them to a FastCGI socket or TCP address.- A
<FilesMatch>block that sets a proxy or CGI handler for files ending in.php.
For an embedded setup, the relevant rule and loaded PHP DSO cause Apache workers to invoke PHP inside the Apache process. For an FPM setup, the rule sends the request out of Apache to a separate FastCGI process. Do not infer the active handler from a disabled site file or an unused example configuration; it must be in the configuration Apache actually includes for the tested virtual host.
Recognize a typical FPM dispatch rule
Apache’s PHP-FPM examples route PHP requests to a Unix-domain socket or a TCP endpoint with ProxyPassMatch or SetHandler. Conceptually, the target might look like a socket path such as unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost/var/www/site, or a network endpoint such as 127.0.0.1:9000. The exact path and port are installation-specific; the important test is whether the target in the active virtual host matches the endpoint advertised by a running pool.
Verify PHP-FPM when FastCGI is reported
Check the service manager
Inspect the service name used by the operating system. Depending on the package and PHP version, it may be named php-fpm or a versioned service such as php8.2-fpm. Use your system’s service-manager status command with the name installed on that host, for example:
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A running service is necessary for a live FPM endpoint, but service status alone does not prove that the tested virtual host uses it. A server can run several pools while a site still points to another pool, another version, or an old socket.
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Match the pool’s listen value to Apache
Open the pool configuration used by the running service and find its listen setting. It will normally be a Unix socket path or a TCP address and port. Compare it character-for-character with the target in the active Apache ProxyPassMatch or SetHandler rule:
- If Apache targets a Unix socket, the socket path must be the same path the pool listens on.
- If Apache targets a TCP endpoint, the address and port must match the pool’s
listenvalue. - Permissions on a Unix socket must allow the Apache process to connect.
Finally, reload the tested URL and confirm that its Server API reports FPM/FastCGI. The matching configuration, running pool, and HTTP result together establish the active path. If one element does not match, you may be looking at a stale configuration, a different virtual host, or a different FPM pool.
Compare the web runtime with the CLI runtime
Print unambiguous values in the temporary page
For a compact comparison, create a second temporary page or replace the diagnostic body with:
<?php
printf("PHP_VERSION=%sn", PHP_VERSION);
printf("PHP_SAPI=%sn", PHP_SAPI);
printf("php_ini_loaded_file=%sn", php_ini_loaded_file() ?: "none");
printf("php_ini_scanned_files=%sn", php_ini_scanned_files() ?: "none");
?>The constants and functions report the web request’s version, SAPI, primary configuration file, and scanned additional INI files. Keep the output private while testing; it is still diagnostic information.
Run the corresponding CLI checks
In the shell, run:
php -v
php --ini
Compare the results line by line:
| Value | Web page | CLI command | Meaning when different |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHP version | PHP_VERSION or the PHP Version field |
php -v |
The web server and shell may select different PHP installations or package versions. |
| SAPI/handler | PHP_SAPI and Server API |
CLI output identifies the command-line SAPI | Different SAPIs are expected; only the HTTP value describes the website. |
| Main INI file | php_ini_loaded_file() |
php --ini |
Each SAPI can load a different configuration file. |
| Additional INI files | php_ini_scanned_files() |
The additional .ini files line from php --ini |
Extensions and settings can differ because the scanned directories or enabled files differ. |
A mismatch is not automatically an error. Web and CLI PHP are commonly maintained as separate installations or SAPIs. If the question is “which PHP does my site use?”, treat the HTTP result as authoritative; use the CLI result only to understand command-line tools, cron jobs, and deployment scripts.
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| Comparison point | mod_php (embedded) | PHP-FPM through FastCGI | CGI or fcgid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where PHP runs | Inside Apache workers | In separate PHP-FPM worker processes | Through a CGI/FastCGI executable or dispatcher; the exact process model depends on the implementation |
| Typical Server API | Apache 2.0 Handler |
FPM/FastCGI |
CGI/FastCGI |
| Apache evidence | Loaded PHP module and embedded PHP handler rule | proxy_fcgi_module plus a proxy target |
CGI/fcgid module and corresponding handler or executable rule |
| Process to restart after PHP worker/config changes | Apache, because PHP is in its workers | The relevant FPM service; Apache may also need a reload when its proxy configuration changes | The CGI/fcgid service or Apache, depending on the implementation and changed setting |
| Apache MPM considerations | PHP’s Apache guidance notes that non-thread-safe PHP builds require the prefork MPM | Works with Apache’s event MPM because PHP is separate from Apache workers | Depends on the CGI/fcgid implementation and its Apache integration |
| Site isolation | PHP runs in Apache’s worker context | Separate pools can use different users, limits, sockets, and PHP versions | Isolation and process management vary by implementation |
| Where configuration is applied | Apache’s PHP module and the web SAPI’s INI files | Apache proxy rules plus each FPM pool and its PHP INI files | Apache handler rules plus the CGI executable’s environment and configuration |
The PHP manual recommends PHP-FPM with Apache’s mod_proxy_fcgi module for modern deployments. Apache’s documentation describes that method as preferred for Apache 2.4 and newer. Those recommendations explain why many current installations report FPM/FastCGI, but they do not change the need to verify the specific host you are administering.
Troubleshoot common contradictory results
php -v shows one version, but the site shows another
- Confirm that the browser request reached the intended hostname and virtual host.
- Read the web page’s Loaded Configuration File and Additional INI files parsed values.
- Check which PHP module or FPM socket the active Apache configuration selects.
- Use the web version for application compatibility decisions; use the CLI version only for shell, cron, or command-line tasks.
The page says FPM/FastCGI, but no FPM service appears
Check whether the service has a versioned name, whether the request is handled by another host or container, and whether Apache is forwarding to a different FastCGI implementation. Then inspect the active ProxyPassMatch or SetHandler target and compare it with the processes listening on that socket or port. The label establishes a FastCGI SAPI, not necessarily the package name of the process behind it.
The page says CGI/FastCGI, and you expected FPM
Look for mod_cgi, mod_cgid, fcgid rules, and extension-to-handler mappings. Verify that the active virtual host, rather than a disabled sample file, contains the dispatch rule. If there is no matching FPM pool and no FPM endpoint, report the site as CGI/FastCGI rather than calling it PHP-FPM.
The Apache module list and page disagree
Check for multiple Apache instances, a proxy or load balancer in front of the host, and virtual-host-specific configuration. The module list describes one Apache process; the URL may be reaching another listener or server. Repeat the test with a response path that unambiguously identifies the intended host, then inspect that host’s configuration.
The diagnostic URL returns a download, 404, or source code
- A download or source-code response means PHP was not selected for that path; remove the file and correct the handler before exposing any application code.
- A 404 usually means the file is not in the document root for that virtual host, or the URL selected another site.
- A server error can indicate a missing module, unreachable FPM socket, incorrect socket permissions, or a syntax error in the dispatch configuration. Check Apache’s error log and the FPM service log while making a controlled correction.
Remove the diagnostic file immediately
Delete handler-check.php and any replacement page as soon as you have recorded the values. phpinfo() exposes configuration, environment details, HTTP headers, loaded modules, filesystem paths, and other information useful to an attacker. Do not protect it merely by leaving the obscure filename in place; remove it from the document root or deny access and then verify that the URL no longer responds.
Quick Recap
A repeatable checklist
- Create a temporary
phpinfo()page in the target virtual host’s document root. - Request it through the application’s exact hostname, scheme, port, and path.
- Record Server API, PHP Version, configuration-file paths, and web-server information.
- Classify the first result as embedded Apache, FPM/FastCGI, or CGI/FastCGI.
- Run
apachectl -Morapache2ctl -Mand identify the relevant loaded module. - Inspect the active virtual-host and included configuration for
AddHandler,SetHandler,<FilesMatch>, andProxyPassMatch. - If FPM is indicated, check the running service and match its pool
listenvalue to Apache’s socket or TCP target. - Compare the web values with
php -vandphp --ini, treating the HTTP values as authoritative for the site. - Delete the diagnostic file and confirm that it is no longer reachable.
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