Question: In laravel 4 we had:

```
$env = $app->detectEnvironment(array(
    'local' => array('homestead')
));

```

by default.

But in laravel 5 it's changed to:

```
$env = $app->detectEnvironment(function()
{
    return getenv('APP_ENV') ?: 'production';
});

```

Also, they have excluded **.env.\*** line in .gitignore, now it has:

```
.env

```

And added file .env.example:

```
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=SomeRandomString
DB_USERNAME=homestead
DB_PASSWORD=homestead

```

So, if i have more than 2 environments, do i have to set all of them in a single .env file now? E.g.:

```
APP_ENV=local
DB_PASSWORD=123

APP_ENV=alpha
DB_PASSWORD=456

```

If i would have no .env file, how laravel will know what environment i am using?

Answer: 
You can do it exactly the same as in Laravel 4:

```
$env = $app->detectEnvironment(array(
    'local' => array('homestead')
));

```

`*.env` file are just used to put sensitive data that shouldn't be put into VCS. The same is in Laravel 4

but is seems that in last days default detectEnvironment was changed to:

```
$env = $app->detectEnvironment(function()
{
    return getenv('APP_ENV') ?: 'production';
});

```

so you can use either setting variable from PC name or from ENV file.

If you use ENV based environment detection in main env file (by default `.env` file you need to add:

```
APP_ENV=local

```

Of course `local` here is local environment, you can change it into `production` or `dev`

At the moment the most important issue I see is that you need to remember when going on production to change this `.env` file content from `APP_ENV=local` to `APP_ENV=production` so in my opinion much better method is the old default method based on PC names.

Now ENV files. If you use ENV based environment detection, you should put into your ENV file only:

```
APP_ENV=local

```

Now you can create separate ENV files for your different environments for example:

**.local.env** :

```
 MY_DB=testdb

```

**.production.env** :

```
MY_DB=productiondb

```

and now in `bootstrap.environment.php` file you can modfiy:

```
if (file_exists(__DIR__.'/../.env'))
{
    Dotenv::load(__DIR__.'/../');
}

```

into:

```
if (file_exists(__DIR__.'/../.env'))
{
    Dotenv::load(__DIR__.'/../');

    if (getenv('APP_ENV') && file_exists(__DIR__.'/../.' .getenv('APP_ENV') .'.env')) {
        Dotenv::load(__DIR__ . '/../', '.' . getenv('APP_ENV') . '.env');
    }   
}

```

to load extra env file based on `APP_ENV` from main env file.

Now you will be able to use it in your other configuration file as always: `$_ENV['MY_DB']`
I just wanted to contribute my solution for Laravel 5.1, which is slightly simpler IMHO. In bootstrap/app.php, I have (just after where the Application is instantiated):

```
$app->beforeBootstrapping(\Illuminate\Foundation\Bootstrap\DetectEnvironment::class, function() use ($app) {
    $suffix = (env('APP_ENV')) 
        ? '.'.env('APP_ENV') 
        : '';
    $app->loadEnvironmentFrom('.env'.$suffix);
});

```

There's no need for any checking or error handling. Laravel will default to "production" if the file is not found.

That is all.