Always provide a second argument to the env() function in your config files to act as a fallback if the key is missing.
Each line in your .env file must follow the KEY=VALUE format without spaces around the equals sign. For example, DB_HOST=127.0.0.1 is correct, while DB_HOST = 127.0.0.1 (with spaces) will cause parsing errors. .env.laravel
# .env
The env() helper should only be used inside config/ files. If you use it elsewhere and later cache your config, those calls will return null . Always provide a second argument to the env()
The recommended approach is to set environment variables at the server level (e.g., in your php-fpm configuration, using Laravel Forge, or through your hosting platform's interface). This keeps sensitive values entirely outside your codebase and allows easy rotation of secrets without redeploying your application. This keeps sensitive values entirely outside your codebase
This section instructs Laravel how to communicate with your database management system. 3. Cache, Session, and Queue Drivers CACHE_DRIVER=file QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync SESSION_DRIVER=file Use code with caution.