.env Generator

What Is the .env Generator?

It builds a starter .env.example or local .env file for Laravel, Node.js, Next.js, Django, Rails or a generic app, with sections for the database, Redis, SMTP mail, S3 storage and a third-party API. Every password, key and token is left empty on purpose: the tool never generates, stores or transmits secrets.

Why and When to Use It

Environment variables keep configuration and secrets out of your code. A committed .env.example documents which variables exist without exposing any values, so a new developer can copy it to .env and fill in their own. Use the generator when starting a project, adding a service, or documenting the variables of an existing one.

How to Use It

1. Choose the framework and whether you want a .env.example (safe to commit) or a local .env with development defaults.
2. Tick the sections you need and pick the database.
3. Generate, then copy or download the file.

Example

For Laravel with MySQL, the local file contains DB_CONNECTION=mysql, DB_HOST=127.0.0.1, DB_PORT=3306 and an empty DB_PASSWORD=. For Node.js the database becomes a single DATABASE_URL.

Understanding the Output

Variable names follow each framework's own conventions, so they work with its default config files. Empty values are the ones you must fill in. In Next.js, anything prefixed NEXT_PUBLIC_ is sent to the browser, so never put a secret there.

Limitations

The file is a starting point, not a complete config for every package you use. Keep .env out of Git with the .gitignore Generator, check the syntax with the .env Validator, and for Docker Compose files use the Docker Compose Environment Validator.

.env File Examples

Node.js / Express (read with the dotenv package or node --env-file=.env):

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
DATABASE_URL=postgres://app:secret@localhost:5432/app
JWT_SECRET=
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173

Laravel:

APP_NAME="My App"
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=my_app
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=

Django (with django-environ or python-dotenv):

DEBUG=True
SECRET_KEY=
ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
DATABASE_URL=postgres://app:secret@localhost:5432/app

Next.js - only variables starting with NEXT_PUBLIC_ reach the browser:

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://api.example.com
DATABASE_URL=
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=

.env Syntax Rules

• One KEY=value per line, with no spaces around =.
• Put values containing spaces or # in double quotes: APP_NAME="My App".
• Lines starting with # are comments.
• Keys are usually UPPER_SNAKE_CASE; keep them unique - a repeated key silently overrides the first one.

Check an existing file for these mistakes with the .env Validator.

.env vs .env.example

.env holds your real settings and secrets and must never be committed - add it to .gitignore. .env.example lists the same keys with empty or dummy values and is committed, so a new developer can copy it (cp .env.example .env) and fill in their own values.