How do I use python-dotenv to manage environment variables?

How do I use python-dotenv to manage environment variables in my Python 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. Then, create a .env file in your project directory and add your variables like this:

DATABASE_URL=your_database_url
SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

In your Python script, you can load these variables using the following code:

from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

database_url = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL')
secret_key = os.getenv('SECRET_KEY')

Can I use python-dotenv with Flask?

Yes, python-dotenv works great with Flask! You can load your environment variables at the start of your Flask app. Just make sure to call load_dotenv() before you access any environment variables.

What if I want to set default values for my environment variables?

You can set default values in your code using the os.getenv() method. For example:

DATABASE_URL = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL', 'default_database_url')

This way, if the environment variable is not set, it will use 'default_database_url'.

Is it safe to store sensitive information in a .env file?

Yes, it's generally safe to store sensitive information in a .env file, but make sure to add the .env file to your .gitignore to prevent it from being pushed to version control.