dotenv.net 🌟

dotenv.net is a lightweight and intuitive library designed to simplify the process of managing environment variables in .NET applications. By seamlessly integrating with .env files, it allows developers to maintain a clean and secure configuration setup, ensuring that sensitive information is kept out of source code. 🔒

Whether you're building a small project or a large-scale application, dotenv.net provides the tools you need to efficiently load, read, and manage environment variables, with support for dependency injection (DI) in popular DI systems. 🛠️

Why Use dotenv.net? 🤔

• Simple and Pain-Free 🎯: Easily load and read .env files with minimal setup.
• Flexible Configuration 🔧: Customize how environment variables are loaded with a variety of options.
• Dependency Injection Support 🧩: Works seamlessly with popular DI frameworks.
• Cross-Platform 🌍: Fully compatible with .NET Core, .NET 5, and beyond.
• Open Source 💡: Actively maintained and supported by the community.

Getting Started 🚀

Installation 📦

You can install dotenv.net via NuGet:

• Using the .NET CLI:

  dotnet add package dotenv.net
  

• Using Visual Studio Package Manager:

  Install-Package dotenv.net
  

• Manual Installation (via .csproj):

  <PackageReference Include="dotenv.net" Version="4.0.0"/>
  

Usage 🛠️

Basic Setup 🏗️

1. Add the Namespace:

   using dotenv.net;
   

2. Load Environment Variables:

   DotEnv.Load();
   

   This will automatically locate and load the .env file in the same directory as your application.

Advanced Configuration ⚙️

dotenv.net offers a wide range of configuration options to tailor the loading process to your needs:

• Specify Custom .env File Paths:

  DotEnv.Load(options: new DotEnvOptions(envFilePaths: new[] {"./path/to/env", "./path/to/second/env"}));
  

• Enable Exception Handling:

  DotEnv.Load(options: new DotEnvOptions(ignoreExceptions: false));
  

• Search for .env Files in Parent Directories:

  DotEnv.Load(options: new DotEnvOptions(probeForEnv: true, probeLevelsToSearch: 2));
  

• Trim Whitespace from Values:

  DotEnv.Load(options: new DotEnvOptions(trimValues: true));
  

• Skip Overwriting Existing Environment Variables:

  DotEnv.Load(options: new DotEnvOptions(overwriteExistingVars: false));
  

• Support the Export Syntax:

  DotEnv.Load(options: new DotEnvOptions(supportExportSyntax: true));
  

Reading Environment Variables 📖

Use the Read() method to retrieve environment variables without modifying the system environment:

var envVars = DotEnv.Read();
Console.WriteLine(envVars["KEY"]); // Outputs the value associated with 'KEY'

Fluent API 🎨

For a more expressive syntax, dotenv.net provides a fluent API:

// Load environment variables with custom options
DotEnv.Fluent()
    .WithExceptions()
    .WithEnvFiles("./path/to/env")
    .WithTrimValues()
    .WithEncoding(Encoding.ASCII)
    .WithOverwriteExistingVars()
    .WithProbeForEnv(probeLevelsToSearch: 6)
    .WithSupportExportSyntax()
    .Load();

// Read environment variables
var envVars = DotEnv.Fluent()
    .WithoutExceptions()
    .WithEnvFiles() // Defaults to .env
    .WithoutTrimValues()
    .WithDefaultEncoding()
    .WithoutOverwriteExistingVars()
    .WithoutProbeForEnv()
    .WithoutSupportExportSyntax()
    .Read();

Environment Variable Helpers 🛠️

The Utilities namespace provides additional methods for reading environment variables in a typed manner:

using dotenv.net.Utilities;

var stringValue = EnvReader.GetStringValue("KEY");
var intValue = EnvReader.GetIntValue("PORT");
var boolValue = EnvReader.GetBooleanValue("ENABLE_FEATURE");

Available Methods 📋

Contributing 🤝

We welcome contributions from the community! If you have ideas, bug reports, or feature requests, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Special Thanks to Our Contributors 🙏

A huge shoutout to everyone who has contributed to dotenv.net:

@bolorundurowb @joliveros @vizeke
@merqlove @tracker1 @NaturalWill
@texyh @jonlabelle @Gounlaf
@DTTerastar @Mondonno @caveman-dick
@VijoPlays bobbyg603

License 📜

dotenv.net is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.

Get Started Today! 🎉

Simplify your environment variable management with dotenv.net. Install the package, follow the quick start guide, and enjoy a cleaner, more secure configuration setup for your .NET applications.

Happy Coding! 🚀