| File | Version Control | Purpose | Typical content | |------|----------------|---------|----------------| | .env.dist.local | ✅ Committed | Blueprint for local dev env vars | DATABASE_URL=mysql://root@127.0.0.1:3306/app | | .env.local | ❌ Gitignored | Actual local overrides (user-specific) | DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:pass@127.0.0.1:3306/app | | .env.testing | ✅ Committed (or sample) | Test suite config | DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///:memory: |
Which (e.g., dotenv , direnv ) handles your configurations. .env.dist.local
Understanding the loading priority of different .env files is crucial for leveraging the .env.dist.local pattern effectively. Most modern frameworks and tools follow a well-defined hierarchy when loading environment variables: | File | Version Control | Purpose |