Configuration
All application configurations are stored in the config directory. YAML is used as the default configuration file
format, but you can also use PHP, INI, JSON, XML, and NEON files. This flexibility is possible because the
ZAPHYR framework utilizes the Config repository to load the configuration files.
It is not possible to load nested configuration file directories. All configuration files must be stored directly in the main config directory.
Environment Variables
While developing applications, it is common to have different configurations for various environments. For instance, you might use distinct database credentials for your development and production environments. To manage this, ZAPHYR supports environment variables, utilizing the PHP dotenv package.
Every new ZAPHYR skeleton application includes a .env.dist file in the root directory. During the installation
via Composer, this file is copied to create a .env file.
The .env file contains several essential environment variables needed to run the application. You are encouraged to
modify this file to meet your specific requirements.
You should not commit the .env file to your repository, as it may contain sensitive information, and each developer
might require different environment variables. Instead, commit the .env.dist file, which should be devoid of any
sensitive information. Subsequently, instruct other developers to copy the .env.dist file to .env and populate it
with their specific environment values.
Let's take a closer look at the .env file and its contents. Right after installation, the file typically looks
like this:
APP_NAME=ZAPHYR
APP_URL=
APP_ENV=development
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_KEY=
The APP_NAME and APP_URL variables
These variables are used to set the application's name and base URL. While not directly used by the framework, they can be useful for displaying the application name in the user interface or for generating links within the application.
The APP_ENV variable
This variable sets the application's environment. It determines the environment in which the application is running,
such as development, testing, or production.
The APP_DEBUG variable
This variable enables or disables the application's debug mode. When set to true, the application displays detailed
error messages, which is useful during development. However, it is recommended to set this value to false in
production to avoid exposing sensitive information.
The APP_KEY variable
This variable sets the application's encryption key, which is crucial for encrypting and decrypting data within the
application. During the installation process, a random key is generated and stored in the .env file.
You can generate a new key by running the php bin/zaphyr app:key command. This will create a new key and update it
directly in the .env file.
To be continued...