Daniel Bachhuber

Chris Reynolds

Pantheon Systems

John Spellman

Andrew Taylor

mpvanwinkle77

Josh Koenig

rwagner00

stovak

<a href="https://travis-ci.org/pantheon-systems/wp-native-php-sessions" rel="nofollow ugc"></a> <a href="https://circleci.com/gh/pantheon-systems/wp-native-php-sessions/tree/master" rel="nofollow ugc"></a>
WordPress core does not use PHP sessions, but sometimes they are required by your use-case, a plugin or theme.
This plugin implements PHP’s native session handlers, backed by the WordPress database. This allows plugins, themes, and custom code to safely use PHP <code>$_SESSION</code>s in a distributed environment where PHP’s default tempfile storage just won’t work.
Note that primary development is on GitHub if you would like to contribute:
https://github.com/pantheon-systems/wp-native-php-sessions
<h3>Configuration</h3>
By default the session lifetime is set to 0, which is until the browser is closed.
To override this use the <code>pantheon_session_expiration</code> filter before the Native PHP Sessions plugin is loaded. For example a small Must-use plugin (a.k.a. mu-plugin) could contain:
<pre><code><?php
function my_session_expiration_override() {
 return 60*60*4; // 4 hours
}
add_filter( 'pantheon_session_expiration', 'my_session_expiration_override' );<h3>CLI Commands</h3>
</code></pre>
wp pantheon session add-index
Added in 1.4.0. This command should be run if your installation of the plugin occurred before the addition of the primary ID key to the session table in version 1.2.2. You will be automatically notified when you visit any admin page if this is the case. If there’s no message, your version is good to go. Note that this command is non-destructive, a new table will be created and the existing one preserved in a backup state until you have verified that the upgrade is functioning as expected.
wp pantheon session primary-key-finalize
Added in 1.4.0. If you have run the <code>add-index</code> command and have verified that the new table is functioning correctly, running the <code>primary-key-finalize</code> command will perform a database cleanup and remove the backup table.
wp pantheon session primary-key-revert
Added in 1.4.0. If you have run the <code>add-index</code> command and something unexpected has occurred, just run the <code>primary-key-revert</code> command and the backup table will immediately be returned to being the active table.
<h4>WordPress Multisite</h4>
As of 1.4.2 the <code>add-index</code>, <code>primary-key-add</code> and <code>primary-key-revert</code> commands are fully multisite compatible.
<h3>Contributing</h3>
See <a href="https://github.com/pantheon-systems/wp-native-php-sessions/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md" rel="nofollow ugc">CONTRIBUTING.md</a> for information on contributing.
<h3>Troubleshooting</h3>
If you see an error like “Fatal error: session_start(): Failed to initialize storage module:” or “Warning: ini_set(): A session is active.”, then you likely have a plugin that is starting a session before WP Native PHP Sessions is loading.
To fix, create a new file at <code>wp-content/mu-plugins/000-loader.php</code> and include the following:
<pre><code><?php
if (file_exists(WP_PLUGIN_DIR . '/wp-native-php-sessions/pantheon-sessions.php')) {
 require_once WP_PLUGIN_DIR . '/wp-native-php-sessions/pantheon-sessions.php';
}
</code></pre>
This mu-plugin will load WP Native PHP Sessions before all other plugins, while letting you still use the WordPress plugin updater to keep the plugin up-to-date.

Native PHP Sessions

I did not have high hopes for this, looking for plugins to resolve the issue my site was having in Site Health and figured I might as well try  this after running across it on Google. I installed it, and it fixed loopback requests and API issues in Site Health. I am very impressed! 

Wow! This plugin works great!

Use native PHP sessions and stay horizontally scalable. Better living through superior technology.

LaughterOnWater

ConFab transforms your conference website with professional session scheduling capabilities. Display your conference sessions in beautiful, responsive table or grid layouts that work perfectly on all devices.
<h4>Key Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Modern Block Editor – Gutenberg-native block with live preview and intuitive controls</li>
<li>26 Color Schemes – Choose from Light, Dark, Earthtones, Jeweltones, Pastels, Ocean, and Forest (each with dark variant)</li>
<li>3 Table Styles – Bordered (traditional), Borderless (minimal), or Rounded (modern card-style)</li>
<li>Grid Layout Option – Modern card-based display with automatic global session detection</li>
<li>Multi-Day Tab Navigation – Client-side tab switching with keyboard support for multi-day conferences</li>
<li>Smart Empty States – Professional branded display when no sessions scheduled</li>
<li>Responsive Layouts – Table and grid views that adapt perfectly to mobile devices</li>
<li>Security Hardened – Built with WordPress.org coding standards and comprehensive security validation</li>
<li>Accessibility Ready – WCAG compliant with proper ARIA labels and keyboard navigation</li>
<li>Translation Ready – Full internationalization support for global conferences</li>
<li>Custom Post Types – Dedicated session management with tracks and locations</li>
<li>Professional Templates – Clean, modern design that works with any theme</li>
</ul>
<h4>Display Options</h4>
<ul>
<li>Multiple Layouts – Table (traditional time-based grid) or Grid (modern card-based display with time slot grouping)</li>
<li>Multi-Day Schedules – Automatic tabbed navigation for conferences spanning multiple days</li>
<li>Extensive Theming – 26 color schemes × 3 table styles = 36 unique combinations</li>
<li>Session Types – Normal, Featured, and Alternate for semantic scheduling</li>
<li>Track Filtering – Display specific tracks or all sessions</li>
<li>Session Linking – Permalink, anchor, or no-link options</li>
<li>Content Control – Show titles only, excerpts, or full content</li>
<li>Mobile Optimized – Sessions reorganize beautifully on smaller screens</li>
</ul>
<h4>Technical Excellence</h4>
ConFab is built from the ground up with modern WordPress development practices:
<ul>
<li>WordPress.org coding standards compliant</li>
<li>Comprehensive input sanitization and output escaping</li>
<li>Modern REST API integration for block editor</li>
<li>No external dependencies or bloatware</li>
<li>Professional PHPDoc documentation throughout</li>
</ul>
<h3>Attribution</h3>
ConFab 2.0 represents a complete modernization and security overhaul of the original WP Conference Schedule plugin. We acknowledge and thank the original contributors who built the foundation:
Original WP Conference Schedule (versions 1.0.0 – 1.1.1): 
* Road Warrior Creative – Original plugin architecture and design 
* alh0319 – Core development contributions 
* stevejonesdev – Development and feature implementation
The 2.0 rewrite maintains the core functionality users loved while implementing modern WordPress standards, security best practices, and accessibility compliance. All original code has been reviewed, secured, and modernized for current WordPress development standards.

ConFab

Create professional conference schedules with responsive table and grid layouts. Security-hardened, accessible, and built for modern WordPress.

Native PHP Sessions vs ConFab