diff --git a/main/SAPI.h b/main/SAPI.h
index 098b7c8c94c..33c0e280d73 100644
--- a/main/SAPI.h
+++ b/main/SAPI.h
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ struct _sapi_module_struct {
 	void (*ini_defaults)(HashTable *configuration_hash);
 	int phpinfo_as_text;
 
-	char *ini_entries;
+	const char *ini_entries;
 	const zend_function_entry *additional_functions;
 	unsigned int (*input_filter_init)(void);
 };
diff --git a/sapi/embed/php_embed.c b/sapi/embed/php_embed.c
index 4b94bd98e66..4626451f9f6 100644
--- a/sapi/embed/php_embed.c
+++ b/sapi/embed/php_embed.c
@@ -214,8 +214,7 @@ EMBED_SAPI_API int php_embed_init(int argc, char **argv)
 	 * allocated so any INI settings added via this callback will have the
 	 * lowest precedence and will allow INI files to overwrite them.
 	 */
-	php_embed_module.ini_entries = malloc(sizeof(HARDCODED_INI));
-	memcpy(php_embed_module.ini_entries, HARDCODED_INI, sizeof(HARDCODED_INI));
+	php_embed_module.ini_entries = HARDCODED_INI;
 
 	/* SAPI-provided functions. */
 	php_embed_module.additional_functions = additional_functions;
@@ -264,9 +263,4 @@ EMBED_SAPI_API void php_embed_shutdown(void)
 #ifdef ZTS
 	tsrm_shutdown();
 #endif
-
-	if (php_embed_module.ini_entries) {
-		free(php_embed_module.ini_entries);
-		php_embed_module.ini_entries = NULL;
-	}
 }
diff --git a/sapi/fuzzer/fuzzer-sapi.c b/sapi/fuzzer/fuzzer-sapi.c
index 3a79e273106..883c3a94ec3 100644
--- a/sapi/fuzzer/fuzzer-sapi.c
+++ b/sapi/fuzzer/fuzzer-sapi.c
@@ -144,7 +144,8 @@ int fuzzer_init_php(const char *extra_ini)
 	if (extra_ini) {
 		ini_len += extra_ini_len + 1;
 	}
-	char *p = fuzzer_module.ini_entries = malloc(ini_len + 1);
+	char *p = malloc(ini_len + 1);
+	fuzzer_module.ini_entries = p;
 	memcpy(p, HARDCODED_INI, sizeof(HARDCODED_INI) - 1);
 	p += sizeof(HARDCODED_INI) - 1;
 	if (extra_ini) {
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ int fuzzer_shutdown_php(void)
 	php_module_shutdown();
 	sapi_shutdown();
 
-	free(fuzzer_module.ini_entries);
+	free((void *)fuzzer_module.ini_entries);
 	return SUCCESS;
 }