)
Unlike .env.local , which contains your actual secrets, a "default" or "example" file should only contain the keys (e.g., STRIPE_API_KEY= ) without the actual private values.
1. .env.default (Lowest priority, base defaults) ↓ 2. .env.local (Local overrides, not committed) ↓ 3. .env.[environment] (Environment-specific, like .env.development) ↓ 4. .env.[environment].local (Environment-specific local overrides) ↓ 5. System environment variables (Highest priority, runtime overrides)
A project might have an .env file that points to a shared staging database. A developer might use .env.default.local to ensure that, on their specific machine, the app always tries to find a local Docker database first, without them having to manually edit the main .env file (which could lead to accidental commits of private data). 2. Avoiding "Git Conflicts" .env.default.local
Using a loadAllDefaults: true mode, you can load up to four files in a specific sequence— .env , .env.local , .env.$NODE_ENV , .env.$NODE_ENV.local —where later files override earlier ones, giving you complete control over the configuration chain.
A file like .env.default.local . This file acts as documentation and provides a functional baseline configuration for new developers, spinning up a working environment with sensible defaults immediately after a git clone . This is often achieved by having .env and .env.example files committed, where the example acts as a template.
Real-world implementations, like (a PHP application) use this exact approach: ) Unlike
: Likely used as a template or a machine-specific default that overrides the shared project defaults but still sits below your strictly secret .env.local . The Typical Loading Hierarchy
In this example, the .env.default.local file provides default values for a database configuration.
By following these best practices and using a .env.default.local file, you can simplify your development workflow and keep your environment configurations organized. const path = require('path')
const fs = require('fs'); const path = require('path'); const dotenv = require('dotenv'); const nodeEnv = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development'; // Define files in order of lowest priority to highest priority const envFiles = [ '.env', '.env.default', '.env.local', '.env.default.local', `.env.$nodeEnv`, `.env.$nodeEnv.local` ]; envFiles.forEach((file) => const filePath = path.resolve(process.cwd(), file); if (fs.existsSync(filePath)) // Override existing keys by parsing manually into process.env const envConfig = dotenv.parse(fs.readFileSync(filePath)); for (const k in envConfig) process.env[k] = envConfig[k]; ); Use code with caution. 💡 Best Practices for Managing Environment Variables
: Stick to SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE for the variables inside (e.g., API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080 ) to ensure they are easily identified in the code. Why use this over a standard .env.local ?