How to create a phpinfo page for troubleshooting

phpinfo() outputs everything about your PHP configuration - versions, modules, settings, environment variables. Essential for debugging but also a security risk if left exposed.

Creating the phpinfo file

1. Log into your domain’s cPanel account (not WHM reseller panel)
2. Open File Manager from the Files section
3. Navigate to your domain’s document root:
   • Main domain: public_html
   • Addon domain: public_html/addondomain
   • Subdomain: public_html/subdomain

4. Click “New File” in the top menu
5. Name the file phpinfo.php (or something less obvious like info-temp-2024.php for security)
6. Right-click the new file and select “Edit”
7. If prompted for encoding, select UTF-8
8. Add this code:

   <?php
   // Remove this file after troubleshooting!
   phpinfo();
   ?>

9. Save the file

Viewing PHP information

Navigate to http://yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php (replace with your actual domain and filename).

You’ll see comprehensive information including:

• PHP version and build date
• Loaded configuration files
• Enabled/disabled modules
• Memory limits and execution times
• Environment variables
• Server information

What to look for

Common troubleshooting checks:

• memory_limit: Insufficient memory causes white screens
• max_execution_time: Too low causes timeout errors
• upload_max_filesize: Limits file upload sizes
• post_max_size: Must be larger than upload_max_filesize
• Module status: Check if required extensions (mysqli, curl, gd) are enabled

Security warning

Alternative: Command line method

If you have SSH access, this is safer:

php -i > phpinfo.txt

Then review the text file locally without exposing it via web.