.env values (APP_KEY & DB_DATABASE) not loaded under high request load #57632
Description
Laravel Version
12.36.1
PHP Version
8.3.10
Database Driver & Version
mysql 8.0
Description
When the application receives a high number of requests per second, two critical environment variables fail to load properly:
Steps To Reproduce
When the application receives a high number of requests per second, two critical environment variables fail to load properly:
Errors :
production.ERROR: No application encryption key has been specified. {"exception":"[object] (Illuminate\Encryption\MissingAppKeyException(code: 0): No application encryption key has been specified. at C:\laragon\www\LaravelProject\vendor\laravel\framework\src\Illuminate\Encryption\EncryptionServiceProvider.php:83)
local.ERROR: SQLSTATE[HY000] [1049] Unknown database 'laravel' (Connection: mysql, SQL: select * from sessions where id = GhVeF3wLwdWFekfNuHEFjdoGBNksHsdeimH32rC2 limit 1) {"exception":"[object] (Illuminate\Database\QueryException(code: 1049): SQLSTATE[HY000] [1049] Unknown database 'laravel' (Connection: mysql, SQL: select * from sessions where id = GhVeF3wLwdWFekfNuHEFjdoGBNksHsdeimH32rC2 limit 1) at C:\laragon\www\LaravelProject\vendor\laravel\framework\src\Illuminate\Database\Connection.php:824)
APP_KEY cannot be read
File: src/Illuminate/Encryption/EncryptionServiceProvider.php
Even though .env contains correct database credentials,
the database name in config/database.php is replaced by the fallback value 'laravel'.
'database' => env('DB_DATABASE', 'laravel')
Expected Behavior
Laravel should consistently read all .env variables (e.g., APP_KEY, DB_DATABASE) under any load or concurrency level.
Actual Behavior
Under heavy load:
The app randomly fails to read APP_KEY
The database config falls back to 'laravel' instead of using .env value
Steps To Reproduce
Set up a Laravel app with .env correctly configured:
APP_KEY=base64:UUVDVdesybjNpBP5QeXP68c+x9fLNBfmICMTxoEdlOA=
DB_DATABASE=my_database_name
Use a load testing tool (e.g. ab, wrk, or k6) to send hundreds of requests per second.
Observe random failures:
Encryption errors due to missing APP_KEY
Database connection using default 'laravel' instead of .env value
Temporary Workaround
Manually hardcode the values in config files:
// config/app.php
'key' => 'base64:UUVDVdesybjNpBP5QeXP68c+x9fLNBfmICMTxoEdlOA=';
// config/database.php
'database' => env('DB_DATABASE', 'my_database_name');
This resolves the issue temporarily, but it defeats the purpose of environment configuration.
Environment
Laravel version: 12.x (12.36.1)
PHP version: 8.3.x
Server: Apache
Cache driver: (e.g., file, redis, etc.)
Operating System: Windows 11
Additional Notes
It seems that under high concurrency, Laravel may be failing to read the .env file properly, possibly due to a race condition or environment caching issue in the bootstrap phase.