.env Manager

Manage your .env files effortlessly - quickly add environment variables and automatically sync them to .env.example files for your team.

Features

🎨 Syntax Highlighting for .env Files

Beautiful syntax highlighting for all .env files and variants (.env.example, .env.local, .env.production, etc.) with proper colorization for:

• Variable names
• Values (quoted and unquoted)
• Comments
• Variable substitutions

🚀 Quick Add to .env

Add environment variables to your .env file instantly using:

• Command Palette - Search for .env Manager: Add to .env
• Context Menu - Right-click in any editor
• Keyboard Shortcut - Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P

The extension automatically:

• Creates .env if it doesn't exist
• Detects the variable name from your selection
• Supports language-specific formats (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.)

🔄 Auto-Sync to Example Files

Keep your .env.example files in sync automatically - perfect for teams!

What gets synced:

• ✅ Variable names (keys only)
• ✅ Comments and structure
• ✅ Empty lines and formatting
• ✅ Actual values replaced with configurable placeholders (default: <your-value-here>)

When sync happens:

• Automatically when you save a .env file
• Automatically when you add a variable using "Add to .env"

Example:

# .env (your actual file with secrets)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb
API_KEY=super-secret-key-12345

# .env.example (synced version for Git)
DATABASE_URL=<your-value-here>
API_KEY=<your-value-here>

Quick Start

1. Install the extension from VS Code Marketplace

2. Configure sync mappings in your workspace or user settings:

   {
     "envmanager.syncMappings": {
       ".env": [".env.example"]
     }
   }

3. Start using it:

   • Select text like process.env.DATABASE_URL in your code
   • Right-click → .env Manager: Add to .env
   • Enter the value when prompted
   • Done! Your .env and .env.example are updated

Configuration

Basic Setup

Sync .env to .env.example:

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    ".env": [".env.example"]
  }
}

Multiple Environments

Different environments? Configure each one:

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    ".env": [".env.example"],
    ".env.production": [".env.production.example"],
    ".env.staging": [".env.staging.example"],
    ".env.local": [".env.local.example"]
  }
}

Multiple Target Files

Need multiple example file formats?

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    ".env": [".env.example", ".env.sample", ".env.template"]
  }
}

Custom Placeholder

Change the placeholder value (default: <your-value-here>):

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    ".env": [".env.example"]
  },
  "envmanager.exampleFilePlaceholder": "CHANGE_ME"
}

Result:

DATABASE_URL=CHANGE_ME
API_KEY=CHANGE_ME

Disable Sync

Remove all mappings or set to empty:

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {}
}

Common Use Cases

Team Collaboration

Keep your team's local setup in sync:

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    ".env": [".env.example"]
  }
}

Commit .env.example to Git, ignore .env in .gitignore.

Multi-Environment Projects

Separate configs for each environment:

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    ".env.development": [".env.development.example"],
    ".env.staging": [".env.staging.example"],
    ".env.production": [".env.production.example"]
  }
}

Monorepo with Multiple Services

Different .env files per service:

{
  "envmanager.syncMappings": {
    "backend/.env": ["backend/.env.example"],
    "frontend/.env": ["frontend/.env.example"]
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Sync not working?

Check your configuration:

1. Open VS Code settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
2. Search for "envmanager"
3. Verify syncMappings is configured correctly

Check the logs:

1. Open Output panel: View → Output
2. Select .env Manager from the dropdown
3. Look for error messages or sync activity

Common issues:

• File paths must be exact - .env won't match .env.local
• Relative paths - Paths are relative to workspace root
• File doesn't exist - Target files are created automatically on first sync

Variables not being added?

• Make sure you've selected the variable name in your code
• The extension looks for patterns like process.env.VAR_NAME, $VAR_NAME, etc.
• If auto-detection fails, you'll be prompted to enter the variable name manually

.gitignore suggestions?

The extension will suggest adding .env to .gitignore if:

• You don't have a .gitignore file, OR
• .gitignore exists but doesn't contain .env

You can accept or dismiss this suggestion.

Important Security Notes

⚠️ Never commit your .env file to source control!

1. Always add .env to your .gitignore
2. Only commit .env.example (with placeholder values)
3. Keep sensitive values (passwords, API keys) only in .env
4. Sync is one-way: from .env → example files (values are never copied back)

Supported Languages

The extension auto-detects variable formats for:

• JavaScript/TypeScript - process.env.VAR_NAME, import.meta.env.VAR_NAME
• Python - os.getenv('VAR_NAME')
• Go - os.Getenv("VAR_NAME")
• Ruby - ENV['VAR_NAME']
• PHP - $_ENV['VAR_NAME']
• Shell - $VAR_NAME
• PowerShell - $env:VAR_NAME
• And many more!

Reporting Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request?

1. Check the logs first:

   • Open Output panel: View → Output
   • Select .env Manager from dropdown

   

2. Report on GitHub: Create an issue

   • Include the log output
   • Describe what you expected vs what happened
   • Share your syncMappings configuration (remove sensitive data!)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Check out the GitHub repository.

License

GPL-3.0

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Enjoy using .env Manager! If you find it helpful, please ⭐ star the repo and leave a review on the VS Code Marketplace.