Error while executing exec('php -v') in php returning garbage (HTTP Response)

Question

I've a shared server Linux based on which I am facing a weird problem. I am trying to execute by PHP, the following command and it runs ok; returning me the PHP install path `/usr/bin/php`. ``` exec('which php');// This runs so exec is not disabled ``` but any command i try to execute with `exec('php ...');` fails returning me an array of 98 to 114 elements randomly which almost has garbage all over. Examples of commands i ran are... ``` exec('php -v'); exec('php -i'); exec('/usr/bin/php -v'); ``` None of the above returned something sensible. Any idea why any command ran by php is not executing? Below is the `var_dump()` of the data array that `exec()` is returning to me. EDIT (After some more RND) I was able to execute ``` exec('php -h') ``` and it reuturned me the following array in readable format. ``` string(9) "php -help" string(47) "Usage: php [-q] [-h] [-s] [-v] [-i] [-f ]" string(27) " php [args...]" string(36) " -a Run interactively" string(69) " -b | Bind Path for external…

Accepted Answer

Its PHP CGI which reads script name from the environment thus causing calling script to run multiple or sometimes infinite number of times.

The solution is simply using command php-cli instead of command php.

replaced line `$command = 'php -m';` with `$command = 'php-cli -m';` on your code and everything will work fine.

Error while executing exec('php -v') in php returning garbage (HTTP Response)

Solution

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