Environment file (.env)
The .env file at the project root controls all runtime configuration. Below is a complete reference.
Application
APP_NAME="StartMyVPN"
APP_ENV=production # local | production
APP_DEBUG=false # Never true in production
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com
APP_KEY= # Generated by: php artisan key:generate
Database
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=startmyvpn
DB_USERNAME=your_db_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
# DB_DATABASE defaults to database/database.sqlite
Mail
MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailgun.org
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your_smtp_user
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_smtp_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=noreply@yourdomain.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
log as the mailer to write emails to the log file instead of sending them:
Queues
QUEUE_CONNECTION=database # database | redis
QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PORT=6379
REDIS_PASSWORD=null
REDIS_CLIENT=predis # predis | phpredis
Cache
CACHE_STORE=file # file | redis | database
Security
BCRYPT_ROUNDS=12 # Password hashing rounds (10-14 recommended)
RECAPTCHA_SECRET= # Optional: Google reCAPTCHA v3 secret
Payment gateways
Payment gateway credentials are stored in the Admin → Settings → Payments panel rather than in .env, with the exception of PayPal:
PAYPAL_MODE=live # sandbox | live
PAYPAL_LIVE_CLIENT_ID=
PAYPAL_LIVE_CLIENT_SECRET=
PAYPAL_CURRENCY=USD
PAYPAL_WEBHOOK_ID=
Social login (Google)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI=https://yourdomain.com/auth/google/callback
Logging
LOG_CHANNEL=stack # stack | single | daily
LOG_LEVEL=warning # debug | info | warning | error
LOG_CHANNEL=betterstack
BETTER_STACK_SOURCE_TOKEN=your_token
In-app settings
After installation, most configuration is managed through the admin panel at Admin → Settings:
| Section | What you configure |
|---|
| General | App name, support email, logo, landing page content |
| Email | SMTP credentials (overrides .env at runtime) |
| Payments | Stripe keys, PayPal sandbox/live toggle, CryptAPI config |
| Social | Google OAuth credentials, enable/disable social login |
| API | API rate limits and API-level toggles |
Settings stored in the database take precedence over .env values for email and payment credentials. You only need .env for the initial setup.
