Laravel env configuration not updating in terminal even after clearing all cache files.

When working with Laravel, you may encounter a situation where you need to update environment variables, but after making the changes in the .env file and clearing the cache, the new configuration values do not take effect in the terminal. This issue can be frustrating, but there are several steps you can take to resolve it.

First, let's discuss why the environment variables may not be updating even after clearing the cache. Laravel uses a file called .env to store environment variables, and when you make changes to this file, you need to run the php artisan config:cache command to update the configuration cache file. This file is located in the bootstrap/cache directory and is used by Laravel to load environment variables during runtime.

However, there are a few reasons why the environment variables may not update even after clearing the cache:

Incorrect file permissions: Make sure that the .env file has the correct file permissions. The file should be readable by the web server user and writable by the owner. You can check the file permissions by running the following command in the terminal: ls -la .env
Incorrect environment variable value: Make sure that the value you are setting in the .env file is valid. Laravel has specific rules for environment variable values, such as not allowing empty strings or arrays.
Caching issue: Laravel uses several caching mechanisms, such as the file system cache, the Memcached cache, or the Redis cache. Make sure that you are clearing the correct cache. You can check which cache driver Laravel is using by running the following command: php artisan config:list
Composer issue: If you are using Composer to manage your Laravel dependencies, make sure that you have run composer install after making changes to the .env file.

Now, let's go through the steps to resolve the issue:

Step 1: Check file permissions

Run the following command to check the file permissions of the .env file:

ls -la .env

The output should look something like this:

-rw-r--r-- 1 user group 1234 Mar 12 12:34 .env

The first r in the permissions string indicates that the file is readable by everyone. The second r indicates that the file is executable by everyone. The third r indicates that the file is writable by the owner.

Make sure that the file is readable by the web server user and writable by the owner. You can change the file permissions by running the following command:

sudo chmod 644 .env

This command sets the file permissions to rw-r--r-- for the owner and r--r--r-- for everyone else.

Step 2: Check environment variable value

Open the .env file and check the value of the environment variable that you want to update. Make sure that the value is valid and follows Laravel's rules for environment variable values.

Step 3: Clear the correct cache

Run the following command to clear the configuration cache:

php artisan config:cache

This command updates the bootstrap/cache/config.php file with the new environment variable values.

Step 4: Check Composer dependencies

If you are using Composer to manage your Laravel dependencies, make sure that you have run composer install after making changes to the .env file.

composer install

This command installs the Laravel dependencies and updates any dependencies that may have been affected by the changes to the .env file.

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, try the following:

Step 5: Delete the bootstrap/cache directory

If the configuration cache file is corrupted, you can delete the bootstrap/cache directory and let Laravel regenerate it when you run the php artisan config:cache command.

rm -rf bootstrap/cache

Step 6: Check for other caching mechanisms

If you are still experiencing issues, check if Laravel is using any other caching mechanisms, such as the file system cache, Memcached cache, or Redis cache. Clear these caches as well by running the appropriate commands.

For example, to clear the file system cache, run:

php artisan cache:clear

To clear the Memcached cache, run:

php artisan cache:clear --cache=memcached

To clear the Redis cache, run:

php artisan cache:clear --cache=redis

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue of environment variables not updating in Laravel, even after clearing the cache.