# The environment name (usually 'development' for this file) NODE_ENV=development # Port number for the local development server # Full URL for the local frontend APP_URL=http://localhost:3000 # --- API & BACKEND --- # Local backend API URL (standard for general use) API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080/api/v1 # Prefix for React (Required for Create React App) REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8080/api/v1 # Prefix for Vite VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8080/api/v1 # Prefix for Next.js (Exposed to the browser) NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8080/api/v1 # --- DATABASE (LOCAL DEV ONLY) --- # Connection details for your local database instance
The .env.development file is an environment-specific configuration file used to store variables—such as API keys, database URLs, and feature flags—that should only be active during . Core Purpose & Usage .env.development
Unlike its production counterpart, the development environment file is forgiving. It contains API keys pointing to sandboxes, database credentials for local instances, and feature flags that toggle experimental UI components. It knows that mistakes here won’t cost real money or crash a live service. # The environment name (usually 'development' for this