# ENV File Generator > Free .env file generator -- add environment variables and comments, copy a clean .env file ready to paste. Supports .env.local, .env.production. - **Source:** DevDreaming (https://devdreaming.com) - **Canonical URL:** https://devdreaming.com/tools/env-file-generator - **Category:** DevOps & Cloud - **Price:** Free -- no signup --- ## What this tool does The ENV File Generator is a free tool for building a .env file from a list of key-value pairs with optional inline comments. You add variables in a form, and it produces correctly formatted .env text you can copy or download. Each variable becomes a KEY=value line, and any comment you supply is written on its own line above the variable, prefixed with a hash. Variable names are automatically uppercased as you type, matching the common convention for environment variables. The generator runs entirely in your browser. There is no signup and nothing is sent to a server, so secrets you enter never leave your machine. ## How to use it 1. Start from the two example rows (NODE_ENV and PORT) or edit them to fit your project. 2. Click Add Variable to append a new empty row for each environment variable you need. 3. Fill in the key, the value, and an optional comment describing what the variable does. 4. Remove any row you do not need with the X button next to it. 5. Click Generate .env File to build the formatted output. 6. Use Copy to put the file on your clipboard, or Download to save it as a .env file. **[Open the ENV File Generator tool ->](https://devdreaming.com/tools/env-file-generator)** This tool runs in your browser and cannot be operated from this Markdown copy -- open the link above to use it. ## What you can use it for - Bootstrapping a fresh project with a clean .env file instead of writing one by hand. - Creating a documented .env template where each variable has a comment explaining its purpose. - Preparing separate variable sets for .env.local, .env.development, and .env.production. - Producing a placeholder env file to share with teammates so they know which keys to fill in. - Standardizing variable naming across a team by relying on the automatic uppercasing. ## Key features - Add and remove environment variables in a simple form, with two starter rows preloaded. - Optional per-variable comments are written as hash-prefixed lines above each key. - Variable names are uppercased automatically as you type. - One-click copy to clipboard or download as a ready-to-use .env file. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a .env file and what is it used for? A .env file stores environment variables as plain KEY=value lines, keeping configuration and secrets such as API keys, database URLs, and ports out of your source code. Frameworks and runtimes load these values at startup so the same code can run with different settings per environment. ### Is the ENV file generator safe for secrets and API keys? Yes. The generator runs entirely in your browser and sends nothing to a server, so any keys or secrets you type stay on your machine. Still, do not commit the generated .env file to version control; add it to .gitignore. ### How are comments formatted in the generated .env file? Any comment you enter for a variable is written on its own line directly above that variable, starting with a hash symbol. The output also includes a header comment with a generation timestamp at the top of the file. ### Why does the tool change my variable names to uppercase? Environment variable names are conventionally written in uppercase with underscores, such as DATABASE_URL. The generator uppercases the key field automatically so the output follows that convention consistently. ### Can I download the result as an .env.local or .env.production file? The download saves the file as .env. The contents are identical regardless of the target filename, so you can rename the downloaded file to .env.local, .env.production, or any other variant your framework expects. ### Does the generator add quotes around values with spaces? No, it writes values exactly as entered in a plain KEY=value form. If a value contains spaces or special characters, you may need to wrap it in quotes manually depending on how your tooling parses the .env file. ## Privacy All tools on DevDreaming run entirely in your browser -- your input is never uploaded to a server. --- ## Related on DevDreaming - [All Free Developer Tools](https://devdreaming.com/tools) - [DevOps & Cloud Tools](https://devdreaming.com/tools/category/devops-cloud) - [Cron Expression Editor](https://devdreaming.com/tools/cron-expression-generator) - [Chmod Calculator](https://devdreaming.com/tools/chmod-permission-calculator) - [HTAccess Redirect Generator](https://devdreaming.com/tools/htaccess-redirect-generator) - [Gitignore Generator](https://devdreaming.com/tools/gitignore-generator) - [CIDR Calculator](https://devdreaming.com/tools/cidr-range-calculator) - [User Agent Parser](https://devdreaming.com/tools/user-agent-parser) --- _This is the Markdown twin of a page on **DevDreaming** -- free developer tutorials, tools, and AI resources. 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