.env.development.local Free Jun 2026

Once loaded, variables are accessible via the process.env object in your backend code (or server-side environment). For example:

For example, a team's shared .env.development might contain:

: Unlike .env.local , which might load in both development and production build modes, .env.development.local is strictly for when the application is running in "development" mode. Common Use Cases

# .env.example (committed to the repository) REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL= REACT_APP_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY= DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/db NEXT_PUBLIC_ANALYTICS_ID= .env.development.local

Your project likely connects to third-party services like databases, payment gateways (Stripe), authentication providers (Auth0), or AWS. These services require API keys, secrets, and passwords.

# Local environment variables .env.local .env.development.local .env.test.local .env.production.local Use code with caution. Pro-Tip: Create a .env.example File

(Local overrides specifically for development) Once loaded, variables are accessible via the process

To keep your project clean, scalable, and secure, implement these standard practices:

The most critical rule of using .env.development.local is .

"use client"; console.log(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_ANALYTICS_ID); // Works console.log(process.env.DATABASE_URL); // Will be undefined! These services require API keys, secrets, and passwords

Missing or invalid environment variables are a common source of runtime errors. In production, a missing DATABASE_URL can crash the entire application. Implementing validation at startup using a schema library like Zod provides type safety and immediate feedback.

// Access the DATABASE_URL variable in any Node.js environment const dbUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;

"label": "Load .env.development.local", "type": "shell", "command": "set -a; source .env.development.local; set +a", "problemMatcher": []

Add .vscode/tasks.json :