我为此问题开发了一个working solution，它使用session_set_save_handler() 和一组自定义会话存储方法，这些方法在写出会话数据之前检查$_SESSION 数组中的内容。如果没有要为会话写入的数据，则使用header('Set-Cookie:', true); 来防止在响应中发送 PHP 的 session-cookie。
此代码以及文档和示例的最新版本是available on GitHub。在下面的代码中，实现这项工作的重要函数是lazysess_read($id) 和lazysess_write($id, $sess_data)。
<?php
/**
* This file registers session save handlers so that sessions are not created if no data
* has been added to the $_SESSION array.
*
* This code is based on the session handling code in Pressflow (a backport of
* Drupal 7 performance features to Drupal 6) as well as the example code described
* the PHP.net documentation for session_set_save_handler(). The actual session data
* storage in the file-system is directly from the PHP.net example while the switching
* based on session data presence is merged in from Pressflow's includes/session.inc
*
* Links:
* http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.session-set-save-handler.php
* http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~pressflow/pressflow/6/annotate/head:/includes/session.inc
*
* Caveats:
* - Requires output buffering before session_write_close(). If content is
* sent before shutdown or session_write_close() is called manually, then
* the check for an empty session won't happen and Set-Cookie headers will
* get sent.
*
* Work-around: Call session_write_close() before using flush();
*
* - The current implementation blows away all Set-Cookie headers if the
* session is empty. This basic implementation will prevent any additional
* cookie use and should be improved if using non-session cookies.
*
* @copyright Copyright © 2010, Middlebury College
* @license http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU General Public License (GPL), Version 3 or later.
*/
/*********************************************************
* Storage Callbacks
*********************************************************/
function lazysess_open($save_path, $session_name)
{
global $sess_save_path;
$sess_save_path = $save_path;
return(true);
}
function lazysess_close()
{
return(true);
}
function lazysess_read($id)
{
// Write and Close handlers are called after destructing objects
// since PHP 5.0.5.
// Thus destructors can use sessions but session handler can't use objects.
// So we are moving session closure before destructing objects.
register_shutdown_function('session_write_close');
// Handle the case of first time visitors and clients that don't store cookies (eg. web crawlers).
if (!isset($_COOKIE[session_name()])) {
return '';
}
// Continue with reading.
global $sess_save_path;
$sess_file = "$sess_save_path/sess_$id";
return (string) @file_get_contents($sess_file);
}
function lazysess_write($id, $sess_data)
{
// If saving of session data is disabled, or if a new empty anonymous session
// has been started, do nothing. This keeps anonymous users, including
// crawlers, out of the session table, unless they actually have something
// stored in $_SESSION.
if (empty($_COOKIE[session_name()]) && empty($sess_data)) {
// Ensure that the client doesn't store the session cookie as it is worthless
lazysess_remove_session_cookie_header();
return TRUE;
}
// Continue with storage
global $sess_save_path;
$sess_file = "$sess_save_path/sess_$id";
if ($fp = @fopen($sess_file, "w")) {
$return = fwrite($fp, $sess_data);
fclose($fp);
return $return;
} else {
return(false);
}
}
function lazysess_destroy($id)
{
// If the session ID being destroyed is the one of the current user,
// clean-up his/her session data and cookie.
if ($id == session_id()) {
global $user;
// Reset $_SESSION and $user to prevent a new session from being started
// in drupal_session_commit()
$_SESSION = array();
// Unset the session cookie.
lazysess_set_delete_cookie_header();
if (isset($_COOKIE[session_name()])) {
unset($_COOKIE[session_name()]);
}
}
// Continue with destruction
global $sess_save_path;
$sess_file = "$sess_save_path/sess_$id";
return(@unlink($sess_file));
}
function lazysess_gc($maxlifetime)
{
global $sess_save_path;
foreach (glob("$sess_save_path/sess_*") as $filename) {
if (filemtime($filename) + $maxlifetime < time()) {
@unlink($filename);
}
}
return true;
}
/*********************************************************
* Helper functions
*********************************************************/
function lazysess_set_delete_cookie_header() {
$params = session_get_cookie_params();
if (version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5.2.0') === 1) {
setcookie(session_name(), '', $_SERVER['REQUEST_TIME'] - 3600, $params['path'], $params['domain'], $params['secure'], $params['httponly']);
}
else {
setcookie(session_name(), '', $_SERVER['REQUEST_TIME'] - 3600, $params['path'], $params['domain'], $params['secure']);
}
}
function lazysess_remove_session_cookie_header () {
// Note: this implementation will blow away all Set-Cookie headers, not just
// those for the session cookie. If your app uses other cookies, reimplement
// this function.
header('Set-Cookie:', true);
}
/*********************************************************
* Register the save handlers
*********************************************************/
session_set_save_handler('lazysess_open', 'lazysess_close', 'lazysess_read', 'lazysess_write', 'lazysess_destroy', 'lazysess_gc');
虽然此解决方案有效并且对包括它在内的应用程序大多是透明的，但它需要重写整个会话存储机制，而不是依赖于内置存储机制以及是否保存的开关。