.env.development [updated]

: It prevents sensitive information from being hardcoded into your source code. Note : You should always add .env.development to your .gitignore file to ensure it is not uploaded to public repositories.

Next.js features built-in support for environment variables. Server-side code (like API routes or Server Components) can access all variables automatically. However, frontend client-side components can only access variables prefixed with NEXT_PUBLIC_ .

app.get('/', (req, res) => res.send(`Hello World! DB_HOST: $process.env.DB_HOST`); ); .env.development

If your development file contains personal API keys (e.g., a developer's own Stripe test key), do not commit it. Use .env.development.local for personal overrides.

# .env.development REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:3000 REACT_APP_API_KEY=dev-api-key REACT_APP_ENVIRONMENT=development REACT_APP_LOG_LEVEL=debug : It prevents sensitive information from being hardcoded

.env.local is not loaded during testing to ensure test isolation and reproducibility.

# Gitignore entry for environment files .env*.local .env.production Use code with caution. 4. Group and Document Your Variables Server-side code (like API routes or Server Components)

Add the following patterns to your .gitignore file immediately when starting a project:

npm install dotenv