.env.development | ^new^

# Application Settings NODE_ENV=development PORT=3000

In many frameworks like React , Vite, and Next.js, the build tools automatically look for a .env.development file when you run a local development command (such as npm run dev ). This allows you to: .env.development

The .env.development file is a specialized configuration file used by developers to manage environment-specific variables during the local development phase of a software project. It allows developers to define keys and values—such as local database credentials or development-only API keys—without hard-coding them into the application. Core Purpose of .env.development Node.js with dotenv

Most modern frameworks (React with Vite, Next.js, Vue, Node.js with dotenv, Django, Laravel, etc.) support the following file precedence: .env.development

The primary utility of .env.development is the separation of configuration from code.