.env files
.env file
Environment Variable File
A list of KEY=value settings for an application — and often full of secrets.
What opens a .env file
- Windows
- Visual Studio Code, Notepad (built in), Notepad++
- macOS
- Visual Studio Code, TextEdit (built in), nano
- Linux
- Visual Studio Code, Text Editor (built in), nano
What a .env file is
A .env file supplies environment variables to an application at startup, typically database URLs, API keys and passwords, and is read by tools like Docker Compose and the dotenv libraries. It is plain text with no encryption whatsoever, which is why .env is in almost every .gitignore and why an accidentally published one is a genuine security incident. On macOS and Linux the leading dot also hides it from the file manager by default.
Converting it
A .env file is commonly converted to .txt. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.
Details
- Extension
- .env
- Full name
- Environment Variable File
- Category
- Data
- MIME type
- text/plain
- Created by
- dotenv convention
- Format
- Plain text
Common questions
- How do I open a .env file?
- On Windows use Visual Studio Code; on macOS use Visual Studio Code; on Linux use Visual Studio Code. A list of KEY=value settings for an application — and often full of secrets.
- What is a .env file?
- Environment Variable File. A .env file supplies environment variables to an application at startup, typically database URLs, API keys and passwords, and is read by tools like Docker Compose and the dotenv libraries. It is plain text with no encryption whatsoever, which is why .env is in almost every .gitignore and why an accidentally published one is a genuine security incident.
- Can I convert a .env file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .txt, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .csv — Comma-Separated Values A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange form
- .json — JavaScript Object Notation The standard text format for structured data on the web and in config files.
- .xml — Extensible Markup Language A tag-based text format for structured data, still everywhere in enterprise syst
- .yaml — YAML Data File An indentation-based configuration format, readable but unforgiving about whites
- .log — Log File A plain-text record of what a program did, newest events usually at the bottom.
- .torrent — BitTorrent Metainfo File A few kilobytes of metadata describing what to download and from whom — not the
- .dat — Generic Data File A meaningless extension — .dat says only that some program stored data here.
- .vcf — vCard Contact File One or more contacts as plain text — the standard way to move an address book.
- .sql — SQL Script A text file of database commands — often a full database dump.
- .ics — iCalendar Event A calendar invitation or event feed in a plain-text standard format.
- .sqlite — SQLite Database A complete relational database in a single file — the most deployed database in
- .db — Generic Database File An extension many programs use for their data — it does not identify one format.
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place