When you see the error Invalid command 'php_value', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration, this typically occurs when Apache's PHP module isn't properly loaded. The php_value directive is specific to the PHP Apache module (mod_php), and this error suggests Apache can't process PHP configuration directives.

First, verify your current PHP handler with:

# Check installed PHP modules
httpd -M | grep php

# Alternative check for Apache 2.4+
apachectl -M | grep php

If you don't see php5_module or php7_module in the output, this confirms the module isn't loaded.

Option 1: Enable mod_php

For traditional PHP setups:

# For CentOS/RHEL:
sudo yum install mod_php

# For Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install libapache2-mod-php

Then restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd   # or apache2

Option 2: Switch to PHP-FPM

If you're using PHP-FPM, you'll need to modify your virtual host configuration. Replace the php_value directives with:

<FilesMatch \.php$>
    SetHandler "proxy:fcgi://127.0.0.1:9000"
</FilesMatch>

For the specific error with session.save_handler, you can either:

• Move this setting to php.ini: session.save_handler = files
• Or use php_admin_value instead if using PHP-FPM

If the issue persists, check:

# Verify PHP module installation
ls /etc/httpd/modules/ | grep php

# Check module loading order
grep -r "LoadModule php" /etc/httpd/

Example complete configuration for PHP-FPM users:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    
    <Directory /var/www/html>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    
    <FilesMatch \.php$>
        SetHandler "proxy:fcgi://127.0.0.1:9000"
    </FilesMatch>
    
    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/example.com-error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/example.com-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

If you're using CloudLinux or cPanel, you might need:

sudo /usr/local/cpanel/bin/rebuild_phpconf --available

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When you see the error message Invalid command 'php_value' in your Apache logs after a server update, it typically indicates that the PHP module isn't properly loaded in your Apache configuration. The specific error occurs because Apache doesn't recognize PHP directives when the PHP module isn't active.

First, let's verify your PHP modules and Apache configuration:

# Check loaded PHP modules
php -m

# Check Apache loaded modules
apachectl -M | grep php

The error appears because:

• The PHP Apache module (mod_php) isn't loaded
• You're using php_value directives in your Apache config without the proper module
• Your PHP configuration might have changed during the update

For traditional PHP setups with Apache:

# Install mod_php (example for CentOS/RHEL)
yum install mod_php

# Or for Debian/Ubuntu
apt-get install libapache2-mod-php

# Then restart Apache
systemctl restart apache2

If you're using PHP-FPM, you'll need to modify your configuration:

<FilesMatch \.php$>
    SetHandler "proxy:fcgi://127.0.0.1:9000"
</FilesMatch>

And move your PHP settings to php.ini instead of using php_value in Apache config.

After making changes, verify with:

apachectl configtest
systemctl restart apache2

Instead of using php_value in Apache config files, consider:

1. Using .user.ini files in your web directories
2. Setting values in php.ini directly
3. Using ini_set() in your PHP code when appropriate

Here's a proper Apache virtual host configuration when using PHP:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    
    <Directory /var/www/html>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    
    # For mod_php
    <IfModule mod_php7.c>
        php_value session.save_handler "files"
        php_value session.save_path "/var/lib/php/sessions"
    </IfModule>
</VirtualHost>