?>
Beyond security, config.php is the engine of environment abstraction. Modern development workflows rely on multiple environments: a developer’s local machine, a shared staging server, and the live production server. Each has different database hosts, error-reporting levels, and cache settings. A well-structured config.php can detect the current environment—often by checking the server name or an environment variable—and load the appropriate settings. For example, on a development machine, display_errors might be set to 1 to aid debugging, while on production, it is silenced to protect user experience and avoid leaking system information. This chameleon-like ability allows a single codebase to move seamlessly from laptop to cloud. config.php
"config.php" is also used in other frameworks and CMS platforms. Use Case: Config.php File in Magento 2 A well-structured config
Using define() creates global constants that cannot be changed once set. "config
For object-oriented projects, treat configuration as a class.