How to load different .env file in laravel 8

Question

I need to load a different .env file, named .env.staging under certain conditions.

In .env file

APP_NAME="Laravel"
APP_ENV=staging
APP_KEY=
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=

But my .env.staging file is not loaded. How to load different .env

Answer 1

Test my way: Create env folder in root folder with 2 environement files.

Content of env\.env.staging:

APP_NAME="STAGING MODE"
APP_KEY=base64:AjYSIS9myYGnVkdfaXy2Oz6lY/ofyNhuqN9ZtkKaNm0=
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

Content of env\.env.test

APP_NAME="TEST MODE"
APP_KEY=base64:AjYSIS9myYGnVkdfaXy2Oz6lY/ofyNhuqN9ZtkKaNm0=
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

Then set this code to boot file bootstrap\app.php:

<?php
use Dotenv\Dotenv;

$app = new Illuminate\Foundation\Application(
    $_ENV['APP_BASE_PATH'] ?? dirname(__DIR__)
);
// Load temporary environement variables
$dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__, '../.env');
$dotenv->load();
// Get dynamic APP_ENV wrote in .env file
$env = $_ENV['APP_ENV'];
// You can debug by command var_dump to check
// var_dump($env);
switch ($env) {
    case 'staging':
        // Overwrite existing environement variables
        $dotenv = Dotenv::createMutable(__DIR__ .'/../env', '.env.staging');
        $dotenv->load();
        break;
    case 'test':
        // Overwrite existing environement variables
        $dotenv = Dotenv::createMutable(__DIR__ .'/../env', '.env.test');
        $dotenv->load();
        break;
    default:
        break;
}

Create a route with a view has this title:

<title>{{ env('APP_NAME') }}</title>

When you change variable APP_ENV in .env file:

APP_ENV=test

You will get the title “TEST MODE”

If you change to:

APP_ENV=staging

You will get the title “STAGING MODE”

The title changed, mean the environement variables are loaded!

Tested with "laravel/framework": "^8.75" version has built-in package "vlucas/phpdotenv": "^5.4.1".

Answer 2

To use the .env.test file try to restructure your initial bootstrap() method inside of the App/Http/Kernel.php file to look like this:

public function bootstrap() 
{
    app()->loadEnvironmentFrom('.env.staging');
    parent::bootstrap(); 
}