PHP 7.4: 'Error: Failed to start application: Failed to start the session'

[chtrede]

Hi there,
I moved my Joomla installation 3.10.3 to a new server. On that machine the installation does not run anymore under PHP 7.4, but only under PHP 7.3.
As an error message I get

[code]Warning: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/cpanel/php/sessions/ea-php74) in /home/yyyyyy/public_html/libraries/joomla/session/handler/native.php on line 260
Error: Failed to start application: Failed to start the session[/code]

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot

[pe7er]

How did you move your website to another server?
Did you use Akeeba Backup to backup and kickstart to restore it?

It seems that your website is not able to get the session data from the database.
Are your database settings correct (in configuration.php) ?


btw: Using PHP7.3 is not a good idea because on 6 Dec 2021 the support for PHP 7.3 security patches ends, see:
https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php

[abernyte]

Ensure that the mysqli module is enabled in php7.4.

[Per Yngve Berg]

Make sure the session Path is writeable. As you can see, the path is different for php 7.3 and 7.4

[sozzled]

See viewtopic.php?t=982009. The problem can be caused by any number of a dozen reasons. As @abernyte says, it could be caused by not enabling the MySQLi PHP extension (if the file configuration.php specifies mysqli as the database connection method); as @Per says, it could be caused if save.session.path is not defined; as @pe7er says, it could be caused if the configuration.php file settings are misconfigured.

The problem can also be caused if some of the "optional" technical requirements for J! 3.x are not met; errors will result if you are using the database to save sessions and the _sessions table is full.

I have been researching this "'Error: Failed to start application: Failed to start the session" problem over the past three to four weeks in preparing an article. I can't tell you where to find this article—that would be self-promotion and that's against the forum rules—but I've summarised the various common (and some not-so-common) reasons. I am following this topic to see if we've found another cause for the error and, if we have, I will add it to my list.

[dorsa]

I have hosted web application develop using joomla in ubuntu 20 and use mysql as database. one i hosted and viewed in the web browser it show me Error: Failed to start application: Failed to start the session

i have used php 7.4, mysql Ver 8.0.27, apache Apache/2.4.41 (Ubuntu)

[sozzled]

@dorsa: see above for the answer to your question.

[Per Yngve Berg]

Edit configuration.php

Find

Code: Select all

public $session_handler = 'none';

If set to 'database', then change it. This is the preffered method with php 7 and above.

If still show Session error, the save.session_path on the server is not writable.
If you get a database connect error, the you have a problem connecting to the database.

save.session_path is set in php.ini

[sozzled]

@Per: please read the forum category. We're discussing J! 3.x here, not J! 4.x.

[Per Yngve Berg]

Corrected. It's now 'none' for J3 instead of 'filesystem'

I don't know where I saw the J4 forum.