dotenv
A Ruby gem that loads environment variables from .env files into ENV, primarily for development.
What is dotenv?
Dotenv is a Ruby library that loads environment variables from .env files into the ENV hash, simplifying configuration management. It follows the twelve-factor app principle by extracting configuration like database credentials or API keys from code into environment variables. This is particularly useful in development and testing where manually setting environment variables is impractical.
Ruby developers, especially those using Rails, Sinatra, or Rake, who need a consistent way to manage environment-specific configuration across different deployment stages. It's also aimed at teams practicing twelve-factor app methodologies.
Developers choose dotenv for its simplicity, framework integration (like automatic loading in Rails), and features like environment-specific file support and autorestore for tests. It avoids overwriting existing ENV variables by default, respecting deployment environment settings while providing local configuration flexibility.
Overview
A Ruby gem to load environment variables from .env.
Use Cases
Best For
- Managing environment-specific configuration (e.g., development, test, production) in Ruby on Rails applications with files like .env.development or .env.production.
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