Build .env files fast. Start from a template or add variables one by one.
Environment variables store configuration that changes between environments — API keys, database URLs, feature flags, and secrets. A .env file keeps these values in one place, loaded at runtime by libraries like dotenv (Node.js), python-dotenv (Python), or built into frameworks like Next.js and Rails.
The format is simple: KEY=value, one per line. Comments start with #. Values with spaces should be wrapped in quotes. The .env file should never be committed to version control — add it to .gitignore immediately. Instead, share a .env.example file with placeholder values so new developers know what variables are needed.
Common patterns include separating variables by concern: database config (DATABASE_URL, DB_HOST), API keys (STRIPE_SECRET_KEY, SENDGRID_API_KEY), app config (PORT, NODE_ENV), and feature flags (ENABLE_BETA=true). This tool generates clean .env files with proper formatting, comments, and templates for popular frameworks.
This tool in other languages:
Français:
Générateur de fichier .env
Español:
Generador de archivo .env
Deutsch:
.env-Datei-Generator
Português:
Gerador de arquivo .env
日本語:
.env ファイルジェネレーター
中文:
.env 文件生成器
한국어:
.env 파일 생성기
العربية:
مولد ملف .env
Either start with a template (Next.js, Stripe, Supabase, AWS, Docker, Rails) to pre-fill common variables, or click + Add variable to build one from scratch. Each row is a KEY=value pair. Click Copy to grab the .env output.
Plain text, one variable per line: KEY=value. No quotes needed for simple values. Values with spaces or special characters should be wrapped in double quotes. Comments start with #. Empty lines are ignored. Most languages have a library (dotenv, python-dotenv) to load these at runtime.
No — .env files typically contain secrets (API keys, database URLs, tokens). Add .env to your .gitignore and commit a .env.example with the keys but no values. Use environment-specific .env files (.env.production, .env.local) for different stages.
Convention varies by framework, but commonly: .env = defaults (sometimes committed), .env.local = your machine's overrides (never committed), .env.production = production-specific values. Next.js, Vite, and Create React App all use this pattern with slight variations.
If you've already committed a .env file with secrets: (1) rotate those secrets immediately (they're compromised), (2) use git filter-repo or BFG Repo-Cleaner to rewrite history, (3) add .env to .gitignore. Going forward, always ignore .env files before first commit.