If you manage a cPanel server with CloudLinux, you probably have multiple PHP versions installed — some via EasyApache 4 (EA-PHP) and others via ALT-PHP.
Manually editing each php.ini file can be time-consuming and prone to mistakes.
In this guide, we'll show you how to automatically apply your desired PHP configuration values across all installed versions — in one go — using a custom Bash script.
🚀 Why You Need This Script
After a new cPanel installation or migration, default PHP settings often cause issues such as:
- File upload errors due to small
upload_max_filesize - Long-running scripts timing out
- Security risks from
allow_url_include - Websites showing PHP warnings because
display_errorsis enabled
This script automatically sets your preferred values for every PHP version installed on your server.
⚙️ What the Script Does
Updates PHP settings for both:
- EA-PHP (cPanel's EasyApache 4)
- ALT-PHP (CloudLinux PHP Selector)
- Creates backups of all
php.inifiles - Applies uniform PHP directives (like
memory_limit,max_execution_time, etc.) - Restarts Apache and PHP-FPM services to apply changes automatically
🧩 PHP Settings Used in This Script
Here's what the script enforces across all PHP versions:
| Directive | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| allow_url_fopen | On | Allows opening URLs with file functions |
| allow_url_include | Off | Prevents remote file inclusion |
| display_errors | Off | Hides PHP warnings from users |
| enable_dl | On | Enables dynamic loading of extensions |
| file_uploads | On | Allows file uploads via forms |
| max_execution_time | 30 | Limits script runtime |
| max_input_time | -1 | No limit on input parsing time |
| max_input_vars | 1000 | Controls number of input variables |
| memory_limit | 512M | Increases PHP memory usage |
| post_max_size | 64M | Controls POST request size |
| upload_max_filesize | 64M | Allows large file uploads |
| session.gc_maxlifetime | 1440 | Session duration (24 min) |
| zlib.output_compression | Off | Disables gzip output compression |
💻 The Bash Script
Save the following script as /root/update-php-settings.sh:
#!/bin/bash
# Update PHP directives for EA-PHP (cPanel EasyApache4) and ALT-PHP (CloudLinux)
# Desired settings
ALLOW_URL_FOPEN="On"
ALLOW_URL_INCLUDE="Off"
DISPLAY_ERRORS="Off"
ENABLE_DL="On"
FILE_UPLOADS="On"
MAX_EXECUTION_TIME="30"
MAX_INPUT_TIME="-1"
MAX_INPUT_VARS="1000"
MEMORY_LIMIT="512M"
POST_MAX_SIZE="64M"
SESSION_GC_MAXLIFETIME="1440"
UPLOAD_MAX_FILESIZE="64M"
ZLIB_OUTPUT_COMPRESSION="Off"
echo "Updating PHP settings for EA-PHP and ALT-PHP..."
#####################################
# Update EA-PHP (EasyApache 4)
#####################################
for php_ini in /opt/cpanel/ea-php*/root/etc/php.ini; do
if [[ -f "$php_ini" ]]; then
echo "Updating $php_ini ..."
cp -p "$php_ini" "$php_ini.bak.$(date +%F_%T)"
sed -i "s/^allow_url_fopen.*/allow_url_fopen = $ALLOW_URL_FOPEN/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^allow_url_include.*/allow_url_include = $ALLOW_URL_INCLUDE/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^display_errors.*/display_errors = $DISPLAY_ERRORS/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^enable_dl.*/enable_dl = $ENABLE_DL/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^file_uploads.*/file_uploads = $FILE_UPLOADS/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^max_execution_time.*/max_execution_time = $MAX_EXECUTION_TIME/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^max_input_time.*/max_input_time = $MAX_INPUT_TIME/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^max_input_vars.*/max_input_vars = $MAX_INPUT_VARS/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^memory_limit.*/memory_limit = $MEMORY_LIMIT/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^post_max_size.*/post_max_size = $POST_MAX_SIZE/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^session.gc_maxlifetime.*/session.gc_maxlifetime = $SESSION_GC_MAXLIFETIME/" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s|^upload_max_filesize.*|upload_max_filesize = $UPLOAD_MAX_FILESIZE|" "$php_ini"
sed -i "s/^zlib.output_compression.*/zlib.output_compression = $ZLIB_OUTPUT_COMPRESSION/" "$php_ini"
fi
done
#####################################
# Update ALT-PHP (CloudLinux)
#####################################
for alt_ini in /opt/alt/php*/etc/php.ini; do
if [[ -f "$alt_ini" ]]; then
echo "Updating $alt_ini ..."
cp -p "$alt_ini" "$alt_ini.bak.$(date +%F_%T)"
sed -i "s/^allow_url_fopen.*/allow_url_fopen = $ALLOW_URL_FOPEN/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^allow_url_include.*/allow_url_include = $ALLOW_URL_INCLUDE/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^display_errors.*/display_errors = $DISPLAY_ERRORS/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^enable_dl.*/enable_dl = $ENABLE_DL/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^file_uploads.*/file_uploads = $FILE_UPLOADS/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^max_execution_time.*/max_execution_time = $MAX_EXECUTION_TIME/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^max_input_time.*/max_input_time = $MAX_INPUT_TIME/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^max_input_vars.*/max_input_vars = $MAX_INPUT_VARS/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^memory_limit.*/memory_limit = $MEMORY_LIMIT/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^post_max_size.*/post_max_size = $POST_MAX_SIZE/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^session.gc_maxlifetime.*/session.gc_maxlifetime = $SESSION_GC_MAXLIFETIME/" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s|^upload_max_filesize.*|upload_max_filesize = $UPLOAD_MAX_FILESIZE|" "$alt_ini"
sed -i "s/^zlib.output_compression.*/zlib.output_compression = $ZLIB_OUTPUT_COMPRESSION/" "$alt_ini"
fi
done
echo "Restarting Apache and PHP-FPM..."
systemctl restart httpd
systemctl restart ea-php*-php-fpm.service 2>/dev/null
echo "✅ All PHP settings updated successfully!"🧱 How to Run the Script
1. Login to SSH as root
ssh root@your-server-ip2. Create the script file
nano /root/update-php-settings.sh3. Paste the code above and save (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)
4. Make it executable
chmod +x /root/update-php-settings.sh5. Run the script
sh /root/update-php-settings.sh6. Wait for the confirmation message:
✅ All PHP settings updated successfully!🧠 Pro Tip
If you want to change specific PHP directives later, just modify the variable values at the top of the script and rerun it.
It will reapply the new values across all PHP versions safely, keeping old backups with timestamps.
🔍 Conclusion
This Bash script is a time-saver for hosting providers, sysadmins, and resellers managing multiple PHP versions.
Instead of manually editing each php.ini, you can standardize your PHP configurations in one clean, automated step.
✅ Works on:
- CloudLinux
- cPanel servers
- LiteSpeed or Apache setups