Laravel php artisan config:cache not reflecting new environment changes

[clarkeex]

I deployed my Laravel app and ran:

php artisan config:cache

Everything worked fine. But later, I updated .env values (like APP_DEBUG=false, MAIL_HOST, etc.).
Even after editing .env, the application still uses the old values.

For example, APP_DEBUG stays true even though I set it to false.
Why are my environment changes not being applied, and how can I fix this?

[selcukcukur]

This is expected behavior: once you run php artisan config:cache, Laravel compiles all configuration files (including .env values) into a single cached file (bootstrap/cache/config.php). After that, Laravel no longer reads .env directly.

So when you change .env, those changes won’t apply until you clear and rebuild the cache.

Solution:

1. Clear the config cache:

   php artisan config:clear

   This deletes the cached config file.

2. Rebuild the cache:

   php artisan config:cache

   This regenerates the cache with your updated .env values.

3. Best practices:

   • Always run php artisan config:clear after changing .env in production.
   • If you’re debugging locally, avoid caching configs until you’re done.
   • In CI/CD pipelines, add these steps after deployment:

     php artisan config:clear
     php artisan config:cache
     php artisan route:cache
     php artisan view:cache

4. Common pitfalls:

   • Forgetting to clear cache leads to “stale” values.
   • Editing .env directly in production without clearing cache will not work.
   • If you see unexpected behavior, check bootstrap/cache/config.php — that’s what Laravel is actually using.

[clarkeex]

@selcukcukur thanks