[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":152},["ShallowReactive",2],{"extension:v3:en:env":3},{"resolvedFromAlias":4,"canonicalExt":5,"ext":5,"name":6,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"updatedAt":9,"popularity":10,"summary":11,"howToOs":12,"quickAnswer":18,"answerIntro":19,"whatIs":20,"description":21,"furtherReading":22,"openInstructions":38,"commonIssues":52,"securityNotes":71,"faq":75,"aliases":88,"mimeTypes":89,"relatedExtensions":91,"breadcrumbs":109,"categoryAnchor":119,"categoryFuturePath":120,"metaDescription":121,"availableHowToOs":122,"openOnDeviceLinks":123,"cannotOpenReasons":139,"cannotOpenFixes":140,"convertOptions":141,"securityAffiliateMessaging":142,"securityAffiliates":143},false,"env","Dotenv environment variables file","config","Configuration","2026-06-12T08:04:24.304Z",85,".env is a plain-text configuration file commonly used to store environment variables as key=value pairs for local development and deployment tools.",[13,14,15,16,17],"windows","mac","linux","ios","android","To open .ENV files on Windows, right-click the .env file and choose Open with, then pick a text editor (for example, Notepad).","Open a .env file with any plain-text editor (it’s just text). It’s most commonly consumed by tools like Node.js (via --env-file) and dotenv libraries that load the variables into a process environment.","A .env file is typically a newline-delimited list of environment variable assignments, usually written as KEY=VALUE. There is no single formal specification for dotenv files; different tools implement slightly different parsing rules. In Node.js, .env files are supported by the CLI via --env-file and parsed according to Node’s documented behavior.","Because .env is plain text and not a standardized format, behavior can vary: quoting, comments, whitespace, and multiline values may be handled differently depending on the loader. Practically, treat .env as a simple, line-based config file and verify parsing behavior in the specific runtime or library you use.",[23,26,29,32,35],{"title":24,"url":25},"Environment Variables | Node.js v26.1.0 Documentation","https://nodejs.org/api/environment_variables.html",{"title":27,"url":28},"Command-line API | Node.js v26.3.0 Documentation (--env-file)","https://nodejs.org/api/cli.html",{"title":30,"url":31},"python-dotenv (PyPI) documentation","https://pypi.org/pypi/python-dotenv",{"title":33,"url":34},"Dotenv documentation: .env security notes","https://www.dotenv.org/docs/security/env.html",{"title":36,"url":37},"IANA Media Types registry (to confirm no dedicated .env media type)","https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/media-types.xhtml",{"windows":39,"macos":42,"linux":45,"ios":48,"android":50},[40,41],"Right-click the .env file and choose Open with, then pick a text editor (for example, Notepad).","If you’re using Node.js to consume it, run: node --env-file=.env your-script.js (from a terminal in the project folder).",[43,44],"Open the .env file in a plain-text editor (for example, TextEdit set to plain text) or any code editor.","If you’re using Node.js to consume it, run from Terminal: node --env-file=.env your-script.js.",[46,47],"Open the .env file with any text editor (for example, a terminal editor like nano/vim or a GUI text editor).","If you’re using Node.js to consume it, run: node --env-file=.env your-script.js.",[49],".env is plain text, but iOS apps vary in how they handle arbitrary config files; if you just need to view or edit it reliably, transfer it to a desktop and open it with a text editor.",[51],".env is plain text, but Android apps vary in how they handle arbitrary config files; if you just need to view or edit it reliably, transfer it to a desktop and open it with a text editor.",[53,59,65],{"title":54,"description":55,"steps":56},"Variables don’t load because the app never reads the .env file","A .env file is not automatically applied by the operating system. It must be explicitly loaded by the runtime/tool (for example, Node.js CLI --env-file or a dotenv library).",[57,58],"For Node.js, use the documented CLI option: node --env-file=.env your-script.js.","If your project uses a dotenv library, ensure it is actually invoked early in startup (for example, before accessing environment variables).",{"title":60,"description":61,"steps":62},"Parsing errors due to formatting differences (quotes, spaces, comments)","There is no formal dotenv spec; different implementations can interpret quoting, whitespace, and comments differently. A line that works in one tool may be ignored or parsed unexpectedly in another.",[63,64],"Use simple KEY=VALUE lines and avoid extra spaces around '=' unless your loader explicitly supports them.","If a value contains special characters, follow the parsing rules of the tool you are using (check Node.js .env parsing behavior or your dotenv library’s documentation).",{"title":66,"description":67,"steps":68},"Secrets accidentally committed to Git or shared",".env files often contain API keys, tokens, or passwords. If the file is committed to a repository or uploaded, those secrets may be exposed.",[69,70],"Do not commit real secrets; keep .env out of version control and share a non-secret example file separately.","Rotate/revoke any credentials that were accidentally exposed and update the affected services.",[72,73,74],".env files commonly contain secrets (API keys, tokens, passwords). Treat them like credentials: restrict access and avoid committing them to source control.","Be cautious when running tools that load .env files from untrusted sources; a .env file can change program behavior by setting environment variables (for example, enabling debug modes or changing endpoints).","Prefer least-privilege values in local .env files and keep separate files for different environments (development vs production) to reduce accidental misuse.",[76,79,82,85],{"question":77,"answer":78},"Is .env a standard file format?","Not strictly. Node.js documentation notes there is no formal specification for dotenv files, and parsing behavior can vary by tool.",{"question":80,"answer":81},"What MIME type should a .env file use?","There is no specific registered media type for .env in the IANA media types registry. In practice it is treated as plain text (often text/plain) when a specific type is unknown.",{"question":83,"answer":84},"How do I use a .env file in Node.js without extra packages?","Node.js supports loading .env files via the CLI option --env-file. Example: node --env-file=.env your-script.js.",{"question":86,"answer":87},"What does a .env file usually look like?","Commonly it is a list of key-value pairs like FOO=bar, one per line. Tools like python-dotenv and dotenv for Node.js load these into environment variables for the running process.",[],[90],"text/plain",[92,97,103],{"ext":93,"name":94,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":10,"summary":95,"howToOs":96},"ini","INI configuration file","An INI file is a plain-text configuration file format commonly used to store settings as sections and key/value pairs. You can open it in any text editor, and many apps (especially on Windows) read it as an initialization/config file.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":98,"name":99,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":100,"summary":101,"howToOs":102},"toml","TOML configuration file",75,"A .toml file is a human-readable configuration file written in TOML (Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language). It’s commonly used by developer tools (for example, Rust’s Cargo.toml and Python’s pyproject.toml) and can be opened with any text editor.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":104,"name":105,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":106,"summary":107,"howToOs":108},"dtd","XML document type definition (.DTD)",15,".dtd files are Document Type Definition files used with XML (and related SGML-family) documents to define the allowed structure, elements, and entities. You typically open them in a text editor or an XML-aware editor/IDE.",[13,14,15,16,17],[110,113,116],{"label":111,"to":112},"Home","/",{"label":114,"to":115},"File Extension Index","/file-extension",{"label":117,"to":118},".ENV","/file-extension/env","category-config","/category/config","Learn what .ENV files are, how to open them on every platform, common fixes, and security best practices.",[13,14,15,16,17],[124,127,130,133,136],{"os":13,"label":125,"to":126},"Open .ENV on Windows","/how-to/open-env-on-windows",{"os":14,"label":128,"to":129},"Open .ENV on Mac","/how-to/open-env-on-mac",{"os":15,"label":131,"to":132},"Open .ENV on Linux","/how-to/open-env-on-linux",{"os":16,"label":134,"to":135},"Open .ENV on iOS","/how-to/open-env-on-ios",{"os":17,"label":137,"to":138},"Open .ENV on Android","/how-to/open-env-on-android",[54,60,66],[57,58],[],"untrusted_source",[144,148],{"name":145,"description":146,"affiliateUrl":147},"Avast","Avast offers free and premium antivirus software that protects against viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing. Scan files before opening them to ensure safety.","https://www.avast.com/lp-aff-consumer-store?expid=inf601",{"name":149,"description":150,"affiliateUrl":151},"Norton","Norton 360 delivers comprehensive antivirus protection, VPN, and identity theft monitoring. Scan files for threats before opening to keep your device secure.","http://buy.norton.com/aff_home?utm_campaign=en-ww_nor_n36_aff_nas_nau_nah_cj_nad_low:_sec_nat_mktc_norton_360",1781269501124]