.env.dist.local !!top!! Jun 2026

Your team clones a repository. Inside, a .env.dist (or .env.example ) file exists. Each developer copies it to .env and fills in their own API keys, database passwords, and debug settings.

The individual developer's file. It inherits everything from above but allows them to change something specific to their machine (e.g., a custom port or a real personal sandbox key).

Suppose you have a PHP project that uses a database. You can create a .env.dist.local file with default values: .env.dist.local

: An older convention (now often replaced by .env ) used as a template to show which variables need to be defined.

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ENABLE_ANALYTICS=false ENABLE_EMAIL_VERIFICATION=false QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync # avoid needing a worker for local dev

To understand where .env.dist.local fits, we must first map out the standard hierarchy of environment files. The individual developer's file

In this deep-dive article, we will explore: