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Asked: 2024-09-25T21:51:10+05:30 In:

What steps should I follow to enable the OpenSSL extension for PHP in Ubuntu, considering I currently have it installed but it seems to be inactive?

I’ve been diving deep into PHP development on my Ubuntu setup, and I’ve hit a frustrating snag that I’m hoping someone can help me with. I’ve got OpenSSL installed, which I thought would be enough, but it seems the extension isn’t enabled in PHP, and I can’t figure out how to get it activated.

I’ve done some digging online, and it looks like the OpenSSL extension is crucial for secure connections, especially when I’m working on projects that involve APIs or any kind of sensitive data transfer. I keep getting this annoying error saying something like “SSL support not available” when I’m attempting to run certain scripts, so it’s clearly a problem I need to fix.

I’m running PHP 7.4 (I know, I should probably consider upgrading, but let’s deal with one issue at a time!), and while I’ve checked that OpenSSL is indeed installed by using the command `php -m`, it’s just not showing up there as an active module. I even tried using `phpinfo()` in a script to see what modules are loaded, and no sign of OpenSSL there either.

So now, I’m at a bit of a loss. I’ve seen some somewhat vague instructions about modifying `php.ini`, but I’m not sure where to find it or what exactly I need to add. Should I be looking in the default configuration file for PHP or a specific one? Also, after making changes, do I need to restart the web server or something?

I’m wondering, what steps should I follow to enable the OpenSSL extension for PHP? If you have gone through this process, could you share your experience or maybe point me to a guide that breaks it down a bit more? I’d really appreciate any tips or tricks to get this sorted, as it’s kind of hampering my development work right now. Thanks in advance for your help!

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    2 Answers


    1. So, I totally get what you’re going through! Enabling the OpenSSL extension in PHP can be a bit tricky if you’re not familiar with the inner workings of your setup. Here’s a simple guide to help you out!

      1. Locate the `php.ini` file

      You need to find the `php.ini` file where your PHP configurations live. Usually, it can be found in one of these locations:

      • /etc/php/7.4/cli/php.ini (for command line)
      • /etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini (if you’re using Apache)
      • /etc/php/7.4/fpm/php.ini (if you’re using PHP-FPM)

      You can find out the exact location by running php --ini in your terminal, which will show you the path to the loaded configuration file.

      2. Edit `php.ini`

      Open the `php.ini` file in a text editor. You can use any text editor like nano or vim. For example:

            sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini

      Once you’re in the file, look for a line that says:

            ;extension=openssl

      Remove the semicolon (;) at the beginning so it looks like this:

            extension=openssl

      3. Restart your server

      After making the changes, you need to restart your web server for the changes to take effect. Depending on whether you’re using Apache or Nginx, you can run:

            sudo systemctl restart apache2

      or

            sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm

      4. Verify it’s working

      Finally, you can check if it’s enabled by refreshing your phpinfo() page or running php -m again. You should see OpenSSL listed!

      If you’re still having trouble, make sure the OpenSSL package is properly installed and linked. You can use the following command to install it again just to be sure:

            sudo apt-get install php7.4-openssl

      Good luck, and I hope this gets your PHP development back on track!


    2. To enable the OpenSSL extension in PHP on your Ubuntu system, you’ll need to modify the `php.ini` file. First, locate the correct `php.ini` file for your installation. You can find its location by running the command php --ini in your terminal. Look for a line saying “Loaded Configuration File” which will give you the path to the active `php.ini`. Open this file in your preferred text editor with appropriate permissions, for example: sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini or similar depending on your web server configuration.

      Once you have the `php.ini` file open, search for the line that mentions ;extension=openssl. If it’s commented out with a semicolon at the start, simply remove the semicolon to uncomment it. Save your changes and exit the editor. After that, you will need to restart your web server to apply the changes. You can do this by executing sudo systemctl restart apache2 if you’re using Apache, or the appropriate command for your web server. After completing these steps, check again with php -m or phpinfo() to confirm that OpenSSL is now listed among the loaded modules.

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