Env Config

Purpose

Prevent misconfigurations from reaching production. Validate environment variables at startup, manage secrets safely, and keep config portable across local dev, CI, and production.

.env File Patterns

File Hierarchy

• .env holds shared defaults. Commit this to the repo with safe placeholder values.
• .env.local holds developer-specific overrides. Add to .gitignore.
• .env.production, .env.staging, .env.test hold environment-specific values.
• Load order (most frameworks): .env Secrets and variables > Actions.
• Access via ${{ secrets.MY_SECRET }} in workflow files.
• Use environment-level secrets for deploy targets that need different credentials.

Kubernetes

• Use ConfigMaps for non-sensitive config, Secrets for sensitive data.
• Mount as environment variables or files depending on the consumer.
• Use External Secrets Operator to sync from cloud secret managers.

Troubleshooting

• Variable not loading: check file encoding (must be UTF-8, no BOM), line endings (LF not CRLF).
• Variable undefined in browser: ensure the framework prefix is correct (NEXTPUBLIC, VITE, REACTAPP_).
• Docker env not applying: check that env_file path is relative to the compose file, not the build context.
• Validation failing in CI: ensure CI secrets are set for the correct environment (not just production).

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: medy-gribkov
• Source: medy-gribkov/arcana
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@sporesec/arcana

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.