Member Avatar for Aamit

Hi,

I am using xampp
in xampp->tmp->sess_jp7bfpqaritm9ta8h3b5n40df1

In this file some session data,html and mysql query are written.

Can any one please explain me the description of this types of file.

any encrypted data format is used to store session.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 5 Replies
  • 268 Views
  • 3 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Aamit

Dani AI

Generated

Quick summary for : those files named sess_<id> in your XAMPP tmp folder are PHP session files — one file per visitor session. They contain the encoded contents of $_SESSION, not an encrypted blob. That is why you can read HTML fragments or SQL text there: your application stored those strings in session variables. As points out, PHP uses an internal session-encoding format (handled by session_encode/session_decode) to write and read those files.

Format and location: the filename suffix is the session id; the folder is whatever session.save_path is set to (XAMPP defaults to its tmp directory). By default the encoding stores name|value pairs; simple scalars appear plainly while arrays/objects are written using PHP’s serialization rules. Different session.serialize_handler values exist, but the practical takeaway is that the data is readable/parsable by PHP — not secretly encrypted.

Practical cautions and best practices: never store passwords, raw SQL, or large HTML blobs in session data. Session files on disk are plaintext to any process or user with access to that directory, so tighten permissions on session.save_path (restrict to the webserver user), enable secure cookie flags (session.cookie_httponly, session.cookie_secure), and call session_regenerate_id(true) after privilege changes to reduce fixation risk. For production or multi-server setups, use a database/Redis or a custom session handler instead of file storage.

Troubleshooting tips missing from the thread: check php.ini or ini_get('session.save_path') to find the files; use a short PHP script to session_decode() a file into $_SESSION for inspection (see ’s snippet for a safe example); check session.gc_maxlifetime and GC settings to understand when files are removed; call session_write_close() when long processing follows to release the file lock.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for Aamit

please anyone explain meaning of file

Member Avatar for digital-ether

These are the PHP session files in serialized (encoded) form. Note that is it not encrypted, it is just encoded. The strings represent objects in PHP, and PHP knows how to turn it back into actual Objects.

The value of this file is available for the specific user through the $_SESSION global array. More of this is in the PHP sessions manual: http://www.php.net/manual/en/book.session.php

The session data is serialized in a format different from the serialize() function. It uses the format in session_encode().
see: http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.session-encode.php

The opposite function session_encode() takes a string encoded with session_encode() and populates the $_SESSION with its unserialized values.
see: http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.session-decode.php

Member Avatar for digital-ether

Here is an example of decoding all the session files (limited to 10 here). Comments explain what each block does.

<?php

session_start();

// what is handling the sessions
$session_type = ini_get('session.save_handler');

// with files, session data files will be in session.save_path directory
if ($session_type == 'files') 
{
  // directory where session files are in
  $session_path = ini_get('session.save_path');
  
  // get the files in session directory
  $files = glob($session_path . '/sess_*');
  
  /*
   * Iterate over each file and decode sessions
   */
  $i = 0;
  foreach ($files as $file) 
  {
    
    echo 'Decoding session data in ' . $file . '<br />';
    
    // file contains session data, get it
    $encoded_session = file_get_contents($file);

    // unset the current session
    $_SESSION = array();
    
    // decode the file data into $_SESSION
    session_decode($encoded_session);
    
    // lets look at the data
    echo '<pre>' . print_r($_SESSION, 1) . '</pre>';
    
    // limit to 10 files
    $i++;
    if ($i == 10) break;
    
  }
  
  
}
// for other session handlers we have to look elsewhere (such as db etc.)
else 
{
  
}


?>
Edited by digital-ether because: n/a
Member Avatar for Aamit

Thanks for Great explanation with example..

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.