Don't flag php:// stream wrappers as remote requests - #896
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GaryJones merged 1 commit intoAug 18, 2026
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FetchingRemoteData treated any `file_get_contents()` argument containing `://` as a remote request and steered users towards `wpcom_vip_file_get_contents()` / `vip_safe_wp_remote_get()`. That misfires for PHP's `php://` stream wrappers, which are local, in-process streams rather than remote HTTP requests. `php://input` in particular is the canonical, unavoidable way to read a raw request body (for example when handling a webhook), so the warning was a false positive with no valid alternative to offer. Exempt the case-insensitive `php://` scheme from the remote-file check. A `php://` substring that is not the URL scheme (such as a query-string value on an https URL) is still flagged. Fixes #506.
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August 18, 2026 14:25
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Summary
The
WordPressVIPMinimum.Performance.FetchingRemoteDatasniff discourages remote requests made throughfile_get_contents(), pointing developers towardswpcom_vip_file_get_contents()orvip_safe_wp_remote_get()instead. It decided a call was remote by looking for://anywhere in the string argument.That heuristic misfires on PHP's
php://stream wrappers.php://input,php://stdin,php://memory,php://tempand friends are local, in-process streams, not remote HTTP requests, so neither suggested alternative applies.php://inputis especially awkward: it is the canonical (and effectively unavoidable) way to read a raw request body, for example when handling an incoming webhook, and there is no VIP helper that replaces it. The result was a warning the developer could only silence with an ignore annotation.This change exempts the
php://scheme from the remote-file check. Matching is anchored to the start of the string and is case-insensitive, soPHP://inputis also recognised, while aphp://substring that is not the URL scheme (such as a query-string value on anhttps://URL) continues to be flagged as remote.Fixes #506.
Test plan
Unit tests are included in
FetchingRemoteDataUnitTest.inc/.phpcovering the exempted wrappers, the case-insensitive scheme, and the regression guard that a maskedphp://substring on a genuine remote URL is still flagged.composer test -- --filter FetchingRemoteData