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Concern

Loading environment variables from .env files into process.env (Node) or for use at config time (e.g. Vite).

Technology

dotenv

Documentation​

Version

v17

Implementation

  • Backend: The backend does not call dotenv in main.ts. @nestjs/config (ConfigModule) loads .env files via envFilePath (from getEnvFilePaths() in backend/src/config/env-paths.ts) and maps BACKEND_* to unprefixed keys inside the validate function (mapAndValidate in backend/src/config/env.validation.ts). See backend configuration for the full flow. dotenv is used internally by Nest's ConfigModule when loading envFilePath; the backend need not add dotenv as a direct dependency unless other code uses it.
  • Frontend (desktop): dotenv is a devDependency. In frontends/desktop/vite.config.ts, at config load time, call config({ path: ... }) to load the root .env so Vite and any custom env mapping (e.g. FRONTEND_DESKTOP_* → VITE_*) see the same vars. Add dotenv to desktop devDependencies. See frontend configuration and vite for how the loaded env is used.

Integration

Backend configuration​

Backend uses dotenv to load root and backend .env; backend configuration describes the BACKEND_ prefix convention and unprefixing so app code sees PORT, DATABASE_URL, etc.

Frontend configuration / vite​

The desktop Vite config uses dotenv to load the root .env before setting envDir and mapping FRONTEND_DESKTOP_* to VITE_*; see vite and frontend configuration for the full flow.