Error.php in PHP: What It Is and How to Use It

error.php is not a PHP core feature. It's a conventional filename chosen by developers for a script that handles errors in a PHP project. Its exact role depends on how a site is configured.

What is error.php?

Not a PHP core feature

Error handling in PHP is configured with directives in php.ini or in the code. A file named error.php is simply a chosen convention for a page that displays an error message or routes error details to a log.

Common roles

The error.php file may serve as:

• A user-friendly error page shown to visitors when something goes wrong
• A central point to log error details and optionally display debugging information in development
• A fallback when a request cannot be fulfilled

Where you might see error.php

Error.php is common in older or custom applications, or in setups where a front controller routes all errors to a single page. Some servers or frameworks may be configured to point 500-level errors to /error.php so visitors see a friendly message instead of a raw error.

Centralized error handling

A central error handler funnels errors from various parts of the app into a single place. In PHP this can be done with seterrorhandler and setexceptionhandler, or by a framework's error handling mechanism, which may route to error.php. The goal is to log details securely while presenting a clean message to users.

Best practices for error pages

• Hide sensitive details from end users and avoid leaking stack traces.
• Use appropriate HTTP status codes (500 for server errors, 404 for not found).
• Log full error information on the server and keep logs secure.
• Keep a consistent look and feel with your site branding.
• Consider a development mode that shows more details locally, but not on production.

A simple error.php example

Here is a minimal production-friendly error.php snippet that sets a 500 status and shows a generic message:

<?php
// error.php - a simple, production-friendly error page
http_response_code(500);
if (php_sapi_name() != 'cli') {
    // Ensure consistent layout if not running in CLI
    include __DIR__ . '/header.php';
    echo '<h1>Something went wrong</h1>';
    echo '<p>Please try again later.</p>';
    include __DIR__ . '/footer.php';
}
?>