Now, running docker-compose up automatically injects your dev variables.
: Frameworks like React (via Create React App ), Next.js , and Vite automatically prioritize this file when you run commands like npm start or npm run dev . 2. Standard Preparation Steps .env.development
: It provides a safe space for individual developers to customize their local setup (e.g., pointing to a local database at localhost:5432 instead of a remote staging server). Best Practices for Your .env.development File Standard Preparation Steps : It provides a safe
| File | Environment | Use case | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | .env.development | Dev server | Live coding, hot reload, local DB | | .env.test | CI/CD & local tests | Isolated runs, deterministic data | | .env.production | Live servers | Real secrets, scaled databases | Run-time
const apiConfig = baseURL: process.env.API_ENDPOINT_DEV, headers: 'Authorization': `Bearer $process.env.API_KEY_DEV`, , ;
# Specific to development environment PORT=3000 DB_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/dev_db API_KEY=dev_secret_key_123 VITE_ANALYTICS_ID=UA-DEV-999 Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard Advanced Considerations Build-time vs. Run-time