A .env file, short for "environment file," is a simple text file containing key-value pairs of environment variables. It's a convenient way to configure environment-specific settings for your application in a way that can be easily managed and kept separate from the application's source code.

Here's what you need to know about .env files:

1. Format:

   • Each line in a .env file represents an environment variable.

   • The format is typically KEY=value, with KEY being the name of the variable and value its corresponding value

     Code Block
     DB_HOST=localhost DB_USER=root DB_PASS=secret

1. Usage:

   • .env files are often used in development environments to set environment variables that define how the application should run or connect to other services like databases, APIs, etc.
   • These files can be loaded into an application at runtime, usually at the start, and the application can then use these settings.
   • Different environments (development, staging, production) can have their own .env files with settings appropriate for each environment.

2. Advantages:

   • Security: Keeps sensitive data (like API keys and passwords) out of the source code.
   • Flexibility: Easy to change settings without altering the application code.
   • Environment Separation: Allows for different configurations for different environments.

3. Security Considerations:

   • Even though .env files are not typically checked into source control (especially for public repositories), it’s important to manage them securely, especially if they contain sensitive information.

4. Common Use with Docker:

   • In Docker environments, .env files can be used in conjunction with Docker Compose or Docker Run to set environment variables for containers.
   • The --env-file option in Docker Run and the env_file directive in Docker Compose are common ways to load these variables.

5. Popular in Many Frameworks:

   • Many programming frameworks and platforms (like Node.js, Python's Django, Ruby on Rails) support .env files either natively or through libraries, making it a widely adopted practice.

How to load a .env  file in your local project

To use a .env file with you local, you just have to create the .env file in the root of the project, GAIA API will automatically load the .env and apply the environment variables

How to load a .env file in a Docker Container