.env File Generator

Never commit .env files with real secrets. Always add .env to .gitignore. You can commit .env.example with placeholder values as documentation for your team. For actual secret values, use a secrets manager. SecureCodeHQ lets you import .env files and share encrypted secrets with your team.

Convention varies by framework. In Next.js, .env is loaded in all environments, .env.local overrides it for local development and is gitignored by default. .env.development and .env.production are loaded per environment. The key rule: never put real secrets in any file that gets committed to git.

Don't share .env files directly (via Slack, email, or shared drives). Use a secrets manager where each team member can access the secrets they need with their own credentials. SecureCodeHQ supports team vaults with role-based access and tag-based scoping.

Any variable without the NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix is server-only and should be treated as a secret (database URLs, API keys, JWT secrets). Variables with NEXT_PUBLIC_ are bundled into the client-side code and visible to users — never put secrets there. This generator marks server-only variables as secrets by default.

With SecureCodeHQ: drag-and-drop your .env file into the dashboard, or use 'npx securecode migrate' from the CLI. All values are encrypted and organized. Then replace .env reads with the SDK's loadEnv() function or use securecode-run to wrap your start command. Zero code changes needed.