The diagnose-first order is the part I would keep. I have wasted more time clearing every cache than I ever saved, and checking whether the config is actually cached usually points straight at the stale file. The case that still catches me is a queue worker that was never restarted, because the web request looks fixed while jobs keep sending mail with the old host. I now treat an .env change as a deploy, not a quick server edit, and I do not consider it done until the worker restart is confirmed.
Kamran Khan
Full-Stack Web Developer (React.js + Laravel) | Dashboards, SaaS Apps & Management Systems for Global Clients
The diagnose-first order is the part I would keep. I have wasted more time clearing every cache than I ever saved, and checking whether the config is actually cached usually points straight at the stale file. The case that still catches me is a queue worker that was never restarted, because the web request looks fixed while jobs keep sending mail with the old host. I now treat an .env change as a deploy, not a quick server edit, and I do not consider it done until the worker restart is confirmed.