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. 🛠️

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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.

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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="3.0.0"/>

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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.

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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));

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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'

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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)
    .Load();

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

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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 📋

Method Name	Description	Return Type	Default (if applicable)
HasValue(string key)	Checks if a value is set for the given key.	bool	N/A
GetStringValue(string key)	Retrieves a string value by key. Throws an exception if not found.	string	N/A
GetIntValue(string key)	Retrieves an integer value by key. Throws an exception if not found.	int	N/A
GetDoubleValue(string key)	Retrieves a double value by key. Throws an exception if not found.	double	N/A
GetDecimalValue(string key)	Retrieves a decimal value by key. Throws an exception if not found.	decimal	N/A
GetBooleanValue(string key)	Retrieves a boolean value by key. Throws an exception if not found.	bool	N/A
TryGetStringValue(string key, out string value)	Safely retrieves a string value. Returns true if successful.	bool	null
TryGetIntValue(string key, out int value)	Safely retrieves an integer value. Returns true if successful.	bool	0
TryGetDoubleValue(string key, out double value)	Safely retrieves a double value. Returns true if successful.	bool	0.0
TryGetDecimalValue(string key, out decimal value)	Safely retrieves a decimal value. Returns true if successful.	bool	0.0m
TryGetBooleanValue(string key, out bool value)	Safely retrieves a boolean value. Returns true if successful.	bool	false

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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

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License 📜

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

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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! 🚀