.env.local High Quality

Storing sensitive information like API keys, database URLs, or other secrets. By keeping these in a .env.local file, you ensure they are not committed to your Git repository, thus reducing the risk of exposure.

It loads .env , then .env.local , then .env.[mode] (e.g., .env.development ), then .env.[mode].local . .env.local

The most critical security control is its inclusion in .gitignore : Storing sensitive information like API keys, database URLs,