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.env

What is a .env file?

A plain text file containing key-value pairs for environment variables.

Use caution
Type Data
By N/A (developer convention)
MIME text/plain

Drop any file to identify it

We read file headers, not extensions. Nothing gets uploaded.

What is it

A plain text file containing key-value pairs for environment variables. Used to store configuration (API keys, database URLs, secrets) separately from source code. Should never be committed to version control.

Technical details
Full Name
Environment Variables File
MIME Type
text/plain
Developer
N/A (developer convention)
Magic Bytes
N/A
Safety
.env requires caution. ENV files often contain API keys, passwords, and other secrets. Never share .env files publicly.
What opens it
Any text editor
FREE All
FAQ
Should I commit .env files to Git?
Absolutely not. Add .env to your .gitignore immediately. ENV files contain secrets that should never be in version control. Use .env.example with placeholder values instead.
Related formats
.ini
Initialization File
.toml
Tom's Obvious Minimal Language
.yaml
YAML Ain't Markup Language