(Ubuntu - Lamp) Why exist in Ubuntu lamp 2 PHP.ini files?

Question

Why exist in Ubuntu lamp 2 PHP.ini files, and what function they doing?

1. /etc/PHP5/cli/PHP.ini

2. /etc/PHP5/apache2/PHP.ini

Answer 1

The first file, /etc/php5/cli/php.ini, is the PHP configuration file (php.ini) for when the console command php is run. The second file, /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini, is the PHP configuration file for when PHP is run as an Apache extension. If you're trying to use a php.ini for your website, use the second location.

Answer 2

PHP can be executed from the command line or from a webserver. /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini is used for the webserver execution, /etc/php5/cli/php.ini is used for the command line execution.