.env.vault.local May 2026

# In your .bashrc or .zshrc export DOTENV_KEY_LOCAL="dotenv://:key_1234@..." require('dotenv').config( path: '.env.vault.local' )

If the same variable exists in both .env.vault and .env.vault.local , the value from wins. Structure of a .env.vault.local File Unlike a standard .env file, this file does not contain plaintext. It contains a JSON structure with encrypted blobs. .env.vault.local

"DOTENV_VAULT_SIG": "12345abcde", "DOTENV_VAULT_DECRYPTION_KEY": "none", "development": "ciphertext": "U2FsdGVkX1/abcdefghijklmnop...", "iv": "e3b0c44298fc1c14", "tag": "c1c14e3b0c44298f" , "production": "ciphertext": "U2FsdGVkX1/zxywvutsrqponmlk..." # In your

If you have browsed GitHub repositories, looked at CI/CD pipelines, or explored advanced configuration management tools like Dotenv Vault, you have likely encountered this cryptic filename. What is it? Why does it exist? And how does it differ from standard .env files? looked at CI/CD pipelines