How do I use python-dotenv in my project?

How do I use python-dotenv in my project?

You can use python-dotenv to load environment variables from a .env file into your Python application. First, install it using pip: pip install python-dotenv.

What should I include in my .env file?

Your .env file should include key-value pairs for your environment variables, like this:

DATABASE_URL=your_database_url
SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

How do I access these variables in my code?

You can access the variables using the os module after loading them with dotenv:

from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

database_url = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL')

Can I set default values for these variables?

Yes, you can set default values using the second argument of os.getenv(), like this:

database_url = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL', 'default_value')