pip install python-dotenv
The shared .env file should contain only non-sensitive default values or placeholders. Some teams commit their .env files (without secrets) to provide a consistent configuration baseline.
A standard best practice for handling these variables is using environment files, specifically leveraging a hierarchical setup that includes or similar environment-specific files. The Anatomy of Environment Files
load_dotenv()
New developers can then copy the template and fill in their own values:
The main .env file still said DEBUG=False . But because .env.python.local was loaded after .env , its setting took over.
During development, it's common to debug by printing os.environ . This is extremely dangerous as it outputs all environment variables, including secrets. Instead, use structured logging with redaction: .env.python.local
This article explores how to implement and leverage environment-specific local configuration files in your Python projects, empowering you to work securely and efficiently across different development contexts.
.env.python.local is a file that stores environment-specific variables for a Python project, specifically for local development. It's a variation of the popular .env file, but with a .local suffix that indicates its purpose.
or a Docker compose file) load the environment instead of hard-coding the load into your Python script. DEV Community for loading multiple files with priority given to local overrides? Hynek's Blog pip install python-dotenv The shared
# Default file (lowest priority) default_file = project_root / ".env"
# .env.python.local FLASK_APP=app.py FLASK_ENV=development SECRET_KEY=dev-key # app.py from dotenv import load_dotenv load_dotenv('.env.python.local')
load_dotenv()
The most popular library, python-dotenv , can be configured to load multiple files with a specific precedence. While it doesn't have a built-in convention for .python.local , you can easily implement it. A robust load_dotenvs() function might load files in this order:
pip install python-dotenv