PHP Options/Info Functions
PHP Manual

getenv

Gets the value of an environment variable

Description

string getenv ( string $varname [, bool $local_only = false ] )

Gets the value of an environment variable.

You can see a list of all the environmental variables by using phpinfo. Many of these variables are listed within » RFC 3875, specifically section 4.1, "Request Meta-Variables".

Parameters

varname

The variable name.

local_only

Set to true to only return local environment variables (set by the operating system or putenv).

Return Values

Returns the value of the environment variable varname, or FALSE if the environment variable varname does not exist.

Notes

Warning

If PHP is running in a SAPI such as Fast CGI, this function will always return the value of an environment variable set by the SAPI, even if putenv has been used to set a local environment variable of the same name. Use the local_only parameter to return the value of locally-set environment variables.

Examples

Example #1 getenv Example

<?php
// Example use of getenv()
$ip = getenv('REMOTE_ADDR');

// Or simply use a Superglobal ($_SERVER or $_ENV)
$ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];

// Safely get the value of an environment variable, ignoring whether 
// or not it was set by a SAPI or has been changed with putenv
$ip = getenv('REMOTE_ADDR', true) ?: getenv('REMOTE_ADDR')
?>

See Also