Your .env file should be committed to your Git repository. Add it to your .gitignore file to ensure it stays out of version control. If an attacker gains access to your repository, they would have all your database credentials and API keys—a catastrophic security breach.
: Ensure you run composer install , copy .env.example to .env , and generate a key using php artisan key:generate . Conclusion .env.laravel
Stores secrets like DB_PASSWORD or API_KEYS outside of version control. copy .env.example to .env