Question

What happens if php.ini is missing? Does PHP load with a default configuration? In phpinfo(), it says the configuration file path is /etc, however it also says Loaded Configuration File (none). I went into /etc, and noticed there is no php.ini, only php.ini.default. PHP is working though, so I'm guessing it must load with default settings. Can anybody confirm this for me?

Answer 1

PHP has what amounts to a php.ini compiled into it. The php.ini file on the system is there merely to override those pre-compiled defaults. If there's no php.ini, the compile-time values are in charge.