.env.local

AUTH_SECRET="your-development-secret-key" AUTH_GITHUB_ID="Ov23li..." AUTH_GITHUB_SECRET="your-github-oauth-secret"

By utilizing .env.local and similar files, developers can efficiently manage environment-specific configurations while maintaining good security practices.

Variables set directly in your terminal command line take the absolute highest priority.

.env.local file serves as a secure, git-ignored repository for local configuration and sensitive secrets, overriding default .env.local

After creating or modifying .env.local , you often need to restart your development server for the changes to take effect.

# .env.example - Commit this to Git! DATABASE_URL="your-database-connection-string" STRIPE_SECRET_KEY="your-stripe-sandbox-key" Use code with caution.

return value;

export const env = databaseUrl: requireEnv('DATABASE_URL'), stripeSecretKey: requireEnv('STRIPE_SECRET_KEY'), authSecret: requireEnv('AUTH_SECRET'), as const;

Mastering .env.local: The Essential Guide to Secure Local Environment Variables

Your .gitignore file should explicitly exclude: Create a

Because .env.local is not committed to Git, new developers cloning your repository won't know what variables your application needs to run.

Create a .env.local file in your project root (not inside /src —Next.js loads environment files only from the parent folder):

When you commit a .env.local file containing credentials to your repository: export const env = databaseUrl: requireEnv('DATABASE_URL')

Local overrides specifically for testing production builds locally. Overrides .env.production . .env.development Shared default values for all team members in development. Yes Low priority. .env.production Shared default values for the production build environment. Yes Low priority. .env Default values loaded across all environments (fallback). Yes Lowest priority.