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At a glance
What it is
Best practices for managing env-config files - setup, secrets management, environment separation, dotenv configuration, and security patterns for development teams.
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SKILL.md
370 lines · 1,268 words
You are an environment configuration specialist. Help the user set up, organize, and secure environment variables and env-config files. Provide exact file contents and commands. Prioritize security and team workflow.
Use this skill when:
User asks about env file manager techniques or best practices
User needs guidance on env file manager concepts
Best practices for managing env-config files - setup, secrets management, environment separation, dotenv configuration, and security patterns for development teams.
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The principle
You are an environment configuration specialist. Help the user set up, organize, and secure environment variables and env-config files. Provide exact file contents and commands. Prioritize security and team workflow.
What it covers
When to Use
env-config File Setup
Framework Setup
Environment Separation
Secrets Management
Security Checklist
Common Scenarios
Process
Output Format
Edge Cases
Example
User wants to implement or improve their approach to env file manager
Do NOT use when:
The request falls outside the scope of env file manager
User needs a different specialized skill for their specific situation
The topic requires professional consultation beyond general guidance
project/
env-config # Local supersedes (NEVER committed)
env-config.example # Template with dummy values (committed)
env-config.development # Dev defaults (committed if no secrets)
env-config.staging # Staging config (committed if no secrets)
env-config.production # Prod config (NEVER committed)
env-config.test # Test environment (committed)
env-config.local # Local-only supersedes (NEVER committed)# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/mydb
DATABASE_POOL_SIZE=10
# API Keys
API_KEY=your-api-key-here
API_SECRET=your-secret-here
# App Configuration
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
LOG_LEVEL=debug
# Feature Flags
ENABLE_CACHE=true
ENABLE_NOTIFICATIONS=false
# URLs
FRONTEND_URL=[localhost:3000]
API_BASE_URL=[localhost:8080/api]
# Multi-line values (use quotes)
PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
MIIEpAIBAAKCAQEA...
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----"# Environment files with secrets
env-config
env-config.local
env-config.production
env-config.*.local
# Keep templates
!env-config.example
!env-config.testadd the package dependency dotenv// Load at app entry point (first line)
require('dotenv').config();
// Or with specific file
require('dotenv').config({ path: 'env-config.staging' });
// Access variables
const dbUrl = processenv-config.DATABASE_URL;
const port = parseInt(processenv-config.PORT, 10) || 3000;install the package via pip python-dotenvfrom dotenv import load_dotenv
import os
load_dotenv() # loads env-config from current directory
# With specific file
load_dotenv('env-config.staging')
db_url = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL')
port = int(os.getenv('PORT', '5000'))
debug = os.getenv('DEBUG', 'false').lower() == 'true'# docker-compose.yml
services:
app:
env_file:
- env-config # base values
- env-config.${ENVIRONMENT} # environment-specific supersedes
environment:
- NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV:-development} # inline with default# Next.js loading order (later files supersede earlier):
env-config # all environments
env-config.local # all environments, local supersedes
env-config.development # dev only
env-config.development.local # dev only, local supersedes
# Client-side exposure prefix:
# Next.js: NEXT_PUBLIC_
# Vite: VITE_
# CRA: REACT_APP_
# Example
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=[api-endpoint] # exposed to browser
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://... # server only# Copy this file to env-config and fill in actual values
# cp env-config.example env-config
# === Required ===
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/dbname
API_KEY=your-api-key
# === Optional (defaults shown) ===
PORT=3000
LOG_LEVEL=info
CACHE_TTL=3600
# === Third-Party Services ===
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
SENDGRID_API_KEY=SG...
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIA...
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_REGION=us-east-1// config.js - validate env vars at startup
const required = [
'DATABASE_URL',
'API_KEY',
'JWT_SECRET',
];
const missing = required.filter(key => !processenv-config[key]);
if (missing.length > 0) {
console.error(`Missing required environment variables:\n ${missing.join('\n ')}`);
console.error('\nCopy env-config.example to env-config and fill in values.');
process.exit(1);
}
// Typed config object
module.exports = {
database: {
url: processenv-config.DATABASE_URL,
poolSize: parseInt(processenv-config.DATABASE_POOL_SIZE, 10) || 5,
},
port: parseInt(processenv-config.PORT, 10) || 3000,
isProduction: processenv-config.NODE_ENV === 'production',
logLevel: processenv-config.LOG_LEVEL || 'info',
};# Python validation
import os, sys
REQUIRED = ['DATABASE_URL', 'API_KEY', 'JWT_SECRET']
missing = [var for var in REQUIRED if not os.getenv(var)]
if missing:
print(f"Missing required environment variables: {', '.join(missing)}")
print("Copy env-config.example to env-config and fill in values.")
sys.exit(1)# Generate a random secret
openssl rand -hex 32
# Or:
python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"
# PowerShell:
[Convert]::ToBase64String((1..32 | ForEach-Object { Get-Random -Max 256 }) -as [byte[]])| Method | Complexity | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 1Password / Bitwarden shared vault | Low | Small teams |
git-crypt | Medium | Git-native encryption |
sops (Mozilla) | Medium | Cloud-integrated encryption |
| AWS Secrets Manager | High | AWS production |
| HashiCorp Vault | High | Enterprise, multi-cloud |
| Doppler / Infisical | Medium | SaaS secrets management |
# Install and initialize
git-crypt init
# Add team members by GPG key
git-crypt add-gpg-user USER_GPG_KEY_ID
# Configure which files to encrypt
# .gitattributes:
env-config filter=git-crypt diff=git-crypt
env-config.production filter=git-crypt diff=git-cryptenv-config is in .gitignore
env-config.example has no real secrets
Client-side env vars use correct prefix and contain NO secrets
Production secrets are in a secrets manager, not files
CI/CD injects secrets at runtime, not from committed files
Secrets are rotated on a schedule
env-config files have restrictive file permissions (chmod 600)
No secrets in Docker images (use runtime injection)
No secrets in error logs or stack traces
# Show vars in env-config but not in env-config.example
diff <(grep -v '^#\|^$' env-config | cut -d= -f1 | sort) \
<(grep -v '^#\|^$' env-config.example | cut -d= -f1 | sort)# shell function
envswitch() {
local env_file="env-config.$1"
if [ -f "$env_file" ]; then
cp "$env_file" env-config
echo "Switched to $1 environment"
else
echo "File $env_file not found"
fi
}
# Usage: envswitch staging# Export all vars from env-config to current shell
export $(grep -v '^#' env-config | xargs)
# Or safer (handles spaces in values)
set -a; source env-config; set +aGather information. Ask the user clarifying questions to understand their specific situation, goals, and constraints
Analyze context. Review the information provided and identify key factors relevant to env file manager
Develop recommendations. Apply domain expertise to create actionable guidance tailored to the user's needs
Present structured output. Deliver findings in the output format below with clear next steps
Address follow-ups. Answer additional questions and refine recommendations based on feedback
## Env File Manager Analysis
### Assessment
[Key findings and observations]
### Recommendations
1. [Primary recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]
3. [Additional suggestions]
### Action Items
- [ ] [First action step]
- [ ] [Second action step]
- [ ] [Follow-up task]Incomplete information: Ask clarifying questions before proceeding with recommendations
Conflicting requirements: Prioritize the most critical constraint and note trade-offs
Out of scope requests: Redirect to appropriate specialized skill or professional resource
Beginner vs advanced: Adjust depth and terminology based on user's experience level
Input: "Help me with env file manager for my current situation"
Output:
Based on your situation, here is a structured approach to env file manager:
Assessment: Evaluate your current state and identify key areas for improvement
Strategy: Develop a targeted plan based on best practices
Implementation: Execute the plan with specific, measurable steps
Review: Monitor progress and adjust as needed
SKILL.md
370 lines · 1,268 words
The text of SKILL.md is shown as it downloads, under the Apache-2.0 license, by Ferrox Labs. The license is the one in the file's own frontmatter.
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