- name: Create .env.laravel from secrets run: | echo "APP_NAME=$ secrets.APP_NAME " >> .env.laravel echo "APP_ENV=production" >> .env.laravel echo "APP_KEY=$ secrets.APP_KEY " >> .env.laravel echo "DB_PASSWORD=$ secrets.DB_PASSWORD " >> .env.laravel # ... and so on - name: Run Laravel commands run: | php artisan config:cache php artisan migrate --force The standard .env file works perfectly for most Laravel apps. However, the emergence of terms like .env.laravel reflects a real need: explicitness and isolation in complex environments.
By mastering environment configuration, you’ll keep your Laravel application secure, portable, and production-ready. .env.laravel
While Laravel natively uses a file named simply .env , the concept of often emerges in discussions about deployment strategies, version control, and multi-environment setups. In this article, we’ll demystify the .env mechanism in Laravel, explore the rationale behind naming conventions like .env.laravel , and provide a battle-tested guide to managing your configuration securely across local, staging, and production environments. What Is the .env File in Laravel? Laravel, like many modern PHP frameworks, follows the "Twelve-Factor App" methodology, which states that configuration should be stored in environment variables. The .env file (short for "environment") is a plain-text file placed in the root of your Laravel project. It contains key-value pairs that override the default configuration values defined in the config/ directory. - name: Create
Use git rm --cached .env and rewrite history (if you’re the only one) or rotate all exposed secrets immediately. Advanced: Generating .env.laravel via CI/CD A robust deployment pipeline never stores .env files on disk in version control. Instead, generate them at deploy time. What Is the
Always re-cache config after editing .env in production:
A typical Laravel .env file looks like this: