Question

What is the fastest way to store config data in PHP so that it is easily changeable (via PHP)? First I thought about having config.php file, but I can’t edit it on fly with PHP, at least not very simply? Then I thought about having XML files, but parsing them for each HTTP request is overwhelming. So, I thought about INI files, but then I figured that INI files are restricted to int/string values. In the end, I have come to the conclusion that JSON encoded file is the best:

$config['database']['host'] = ...;
$config['another']['something'] = ...;
...
json_encode($config);

Since JSON can store arrays, I can create quite complex configurations with it, and it parses faster than INI files.

My question: did I miss something or is there a better way to do this?

Answer 1

Serialize is a better option than JSON for storing PHP variables.

I like to use var_export for saving config file, and using include for loading config info. This makes it easy to save config data progmatically AND makes the data easy to read/write for a person as well:

config.php:

return array(
 'var1'=> 'value1',
 'var2'=> 'value2',
);

test.php:

$config = include 'config.php';
$config['var2']= 'value3';
file_put_contents('config.php', '<?php return ' . var_export($config, true) . '; ?>');

Updated config.php now contains the following data:

return array(
 'var1'=> 'value1',
 'var2'=> 'value3',
);