PHP session expiration in 30 minutes: A step-by-step guide

Session expiration is an important aspect of web development, especially when it comes to security. PHP provides a built-in way to manage session expiration, allowing you to set a specific time limit for how long a user's session should last. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of setting a PHP session expiration time of 30 minutes.

Step 1: Starting the session

The first step is to start the session using the session_start() function. This function must be called at the beginning of each page where you want to use sessions.

<?php
session_start();
?>

Step 2: Setting the session expiration time

Next, you will need to set the session expiration time using the session_set_cookie_params() function. This function takes three parameters: the lifetime of the session cookie, the path on the server where the cookie will be available, and the domain of the cookie.

<?php
// Set session cookie lifetime to 30 minutes
session_set_cookie_params(1800, '/');
?>

In this example, we have set the lifetime of the session cookie to 1800 seconds, or 30 minutes. We have also set the path to '/' so that the cookie will be available to all pages on the server.

Step 3: Checking for session expiration

Finally, you will need to check for session expiration on each page load. This can be done using the session_status() function and checking if the status is equal to PHP_SESSION_NONE. If the session has expired, you can redirect the user to a login page or other appropriate action.

<?php
// Check if session has expired
if (session_status() === PHP_SESSION_NONE) {
    // Redirect user to login page
    header("Location: login.php");
    exit();
}
?>

By following these three steps, you can easily set a PHP session expiration time of 30 minutes on your website. This will help to ensure the security and privacy of your users' information, while also providing a better user experience.