if (! function_exists(‘env‘)) {
    /**
     * Gets the value of an environment variable. Supports boolean, empty and null.
     *
     * @param  string  $key
     * @param  mixed   $default
     * @return mixed
     */
    function env($key, $default = null)
    {
        $value = http://www.mamicode.com/getenv($key);>if ($value === false) {
            return value($default);
        }

        switch (strtolower($value)) {
            case ‘true‘:
            case ‘(true)‘:
                return true;

            case ‘false‘:
            case ‘(false)‘:
                return false;

            case ‘empty‘:
            case ‘(empty)‘:
                return ‘‘;

            case ‘null‘:
            case ‘(null)‘:
                return;
        }

        if (Str::startsWith($value, ‘"‘) && Str::endsWith($value, ‘"‘)) {
            return substr($value, 1, -1);
        }

        return $value;
    }
}

Loads environment variables from .env to getenv(), $_ENV and $_SERVER automagically.

This is a PHP version of the original Ruby dotenv.

You should never store sensitive credentials in your code. Storing configuration in the environment is one of the tenets of a twelve-factor app. Anything that is likely to change between deployment environments – such as database credentials or credentials for 3rd party services – should be extracted from the code into environment variables.

Basically, a .env file is an easy way to load custom configuration variables that your application needs without having to modify .htaccess files or Apache/nginx virtual hosts. This means you won‘t have to edit any files outside the project, and all the environment variables are always set no matter how you run your project - Apache, Nginx, CLI, and even PHP 5.4‘s built-in webserver. It‘s WAY easier than all the other ways you know of to set environment variables, and you‘re going to love it.

. NO editing virtual hosts in Apache or Nginx
. NO adding php_value flags to .htaccess files
. EASY portability and sharing of required ENV values
. COMPATIBLE with PHP‘s built-in web server and CLI runner