.env variables vs global.php for environment-specific configuration

Contao CMS allows developers to manage environment-specific settings using either a .env file via the Symfony DotEnv component or the global.php configuration file. While .env is standard for keeping sensitive credentials out of version control, global.php provides a structured PHP-based override mechanism.

A critical trade-off exists when moving from a local development environment to a production server. Local setups often rely on permissive file access for .env files, but production environments may impose stricter permissions or utilize system-level environment variables that can conflict with file-based configurations.

Additionally, the interaction between these two methods and the Symfony cache can lead to inconsistencies where production settings do not update immediately after a file change.

• Which approach is more resilient against production file permission restrictions?
• How does the configuration priority order between .env and global.php affect the reliability of the bin/console cache:clear command in production?