How to keep php session alive after closing browser?

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by brandy , in category: PHP General , 8 months ago

How to keep php session alive after closing browser?

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1 answer

by lindsey.homenick , 8 months ago

@brandy 

To keep a PHP session alive after closing the browser, you need to use session cookies or session IDs in the URL. Here are the steps you can follow:

  1. Set the session cookie lifetime: By default, PHP sets the session cookie lifetime to be destroyed when the browser is closed. You can change this using the session.cookie_lifetime option in your PHP configuration or by using the ini_set() function. For example: // Set the session cookie lifetime to 30 minutes ini_set('session.cookie_lifetime', 1800);
  2. Set the session cookie to not be destroyed when the browser is closed: By default, the session cookie is set as a "session" cookie, which means it will be destroyed when the browser is closed. You can change this by setting the session.cookie_lifetime to a non-zero value. For example: // Set the session cookie to be persistent session_set_cookie_params(1800);
  3. Enable session auto-start: By default, the PHP session is only started when you call the session_start() function. To start the session automatically on each page load, you can enable session auto-start by setting the session.auto_start option to 1 in your PHP configuration or by using the ini_set() function. // Enable session auto-start ini_set('session.auto_start', 1);
  4. Use session IDs in the URL: If you want to keep the session alive even after the browser is closed and reopened, you can use session IDs in the URL. This involves appending the session ID to all links and URLs on your website. To enable this feature, you need to set the session.use_trans_sid option to 1 in your PHP configuration or by using the ini_set() function. // Enable session IDs in the URL ini_set('session.use_trans_sid', 1); Note: Using session IDs in the URL is not recommended for security reasons. It can expose the session ID to potential attackers.


By implementing these steps, you can keep the PHP session alive after closing the browser. However, it's important to consider the security implications of keeping a session alive for an extended period. It's generally recommended to use other methods like cookie-based session management or token-based authentication for maintaining user sessions securely.