`app/etc/env.php` needs write permission and is rewritten on deployment

[madalinignisca]

Summary

I'm deploying Magento using prebuilt container images.

The one thing that I can't really understand why it is design this way, it is rewriting app/etc/env.php even when it is told to keep-generated, expected by documentation to respect deployments on multiple server/instances.

Also, beside changing other stuff in app/etc/env.php, it also replaces with values from environment variables all calls like getenv('DB_HOST') to returned value.

I find it an anti 12 App Factor pattern writing to app/etc/env.php, principal to what the docs say that Magento is respecting (so it is a proof that 12 App Factor is not respected?)

Examples

If app/etc/env.php has getenv('DB_HOST'), it will be replaced with real_value_from_environment_variable, the file being overwritten.

Proposed solution

If app/etc/env.php contains getenv('XXX') it should not replace it with the calculated value.

app/etc/env.php should never be rewritten and deployment should expose required changes so "ops" can put the configuration and redeploy.

This should be at least optional and usable by some parameters to setup:upgrade to allow protected environments to have app/etc/env.php read-only, and also should be the case for app/etc/config.php, this one expected to be writable only in a development environment and never in production.

Release note

No response

Triage and priority

• Severity: S0 - Affects critical data or functionality and leaves users without workaround.
• Severity: S1 - Affects critical data or functionality and forces users to employ a workaround.
• Severity: S2 - Affects non-critical data or functionality and forces users to employ a workaround.
• Severity: S3 - Affects non-critical data or functionality and does not force users to employ a workaround.
• Severity: S4 - Affects aesthetics, professional look and feel, “quality” or “usability”.

[m2-assistant]

Hi @madalinignisca. Thank you for your report.
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[hostep]

Just linking some older discussions to this issue:

• Read-only app/etc/ #26292
• Separate cache_types from app/etc/config.php #32605

[madalinignisca]

@hostep I read the last few days the discussions. I should have gotten involved in them directly.

I think we should stick to a more concise feature request as when Magento is in PRODUCTION mode, it must never alter any file, but only do DB, Elastic, RabbitMQ structure update and migration of needed data.

This will just make Magento "modern cloud" compatible.

[engcom-November]

Hello @madalinignisca,

As the same issue is already been confirmed here #26292, we believe we can close this issue. If you need further assistance on this feel free to raise a fresh ticket or reopen this ticket.

Thank you.