FAQ

FAQ

Short answers to common questions. Most link to a fuller page.

Does this overwrite my real environment variables?

No. create() never overwrites a name already defined in $_ENV, $_SERVER, or getenv(). Real environment variables always win — see Loading & Precedence.

Why did 007 come back as the string "007" and not 7?

Because coercing it to 7 would lose the leading zero. Numbers are coerced to int/float only when the conversion round-trips exactly. See Value Types & Coercion.

How do I force a value to be an int / bool?

Cast at the call site:

$port    = (int) DotENV::get('DB_PORT');
$enabled = filter_var(DotENV::get('FEATURE_X'), FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOL);

Can a value reference another value?

Yes — use ${OTHER}. References are resolved on read, can appear multiple times per line, and can nest. See Variable Interpolation.

Does it support $VAR without braces?

No. Only the ${VAR} form is recognised; a bare $VAR is left as literal text.

How do I load different files per environment?

A file must be named exactly .env or .env.php, so either keep per-environment files in their own directories and point create() at the directory, or layer an optional override file. See the patterns in Recipes.

Why doesn't getenv() see my .env.php integer?

putenv() only accepts strings, so non-string values from a .env.php file are stored in $_ENV / $_SERVER (and get() reads them) but are not pushed to getenv(). Store it as a string if getenv() must see it. See Using a PHP .env File.

create() threw an exception — how do I make it optional?

Pass false as the second argument: DotENV::create($path, false) turns every error (missing file, wrong type, unreadable) into a silent no-op. See Error Handling.

What's the difference between DotENV::get() and env()?

Nothing functional — env() is a global helper equivalent to DotENV::get(), sharing the same state. Use whichever reads better. See API Reference.

DotENV vs Repository — which should I use?

DotENV is a static facade over a single shared Repository; it's the usual entry point. Use Repository directly when you want an isolated instance (DI, tests, loading multiple file sets). See API Reference.

I changed $_ENV after reading a value and get() still returns the old one.

get() caches on first read. Call DotENV::flush() (or use a fresh Repository) to clear the cache. See Loading & Precedence.

How do I reload the file in a long-running worker?

DotENV::reset() drops the shared instance and unloads what it added (leaving the real environment intact), then call create() again. See Recipes.

Is it safe to keep my .env in the project?

Keep it out of the web root (or block it) and out of version control. A .env.php additionally executes as PHP — only load trusted ones. See Security Best Practices.

Can I use this with framework X?

Yes — it's a standalone loader with no framework ties. Call create() in your bootstrap and read with get() / env(). If your framework already defines a global env(), this package's helper steps aside (it only declares env() when the name is free).

Which PHP versions are supported?

PHP 8.0 through 8.4 (tested on each). For PHP 5.6–7.x, use the 2.0.x line. See Migration from 2.x.

Next steps

• Troubleshooting — concrete failures and fixes
• API Reference — every public member