In this example, the .env.default.local file provides a default set of configuration settings for local development. If a .env.local file is present, it can override these settings. For instance:
Because .env.default.local contains configurations unique to your specific machine—and potentially sensitive credentials tailored to your local environment— Updating your .gitignore .env.default.local
DB_HOST=localhost DB_PORT=5432 DB_USERNAME=myuser DB_PASSWORD=mypassword In this example, the
: You might also see this pattern as .env.local.default , but the order of suffixes can change the file's meaning. As one developer noted in a GitHub issue, using .local.default implies "default values for a local file," whereas .default.local could be read as "a default file that's also local." The proposal to rename .env.local.default to .env.local.example was made to avoid such confusion. The important takeaway is that the name should reflect the intent: a template that is used, not executed. As one developer noted in a GitHub issue, using
// 3. Ensure actual environment variables take precedence // (process.env already has highest priority)
: It is used to store non-sensitive but machine-specific values, such as a local path or a specific port number that doesn't need to be shared with the team. Comparison with Standard Files