Security & Best Practices

Environment Variables

What It Is

Configuration values stored outside your code, different per environment

Analogy

Settings you adjust depending on location — your home thermostat vs. the office

Try It Out

🛠️Development
http://localhost:3000

Local development with test data

Environment Variables
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://localhost:5432/dev_db"

API_KEY="test_key_123"

DEBUG="true"

LOG_LEVEL="debug"
🛠️

Local Development

Your local machine. Safe to experiment and break things.

Related Terms in Security & Best Practices

Secrets

The combination to your safe — share it and you lose everything

Leaking Secrets

Leaving the safe combination on a sticky note in a public place

Token

A wristband at a concert — proves you paid without showing your credit card every time

OAuth

Using your driver's license to prove your age instead of showing your birth certificate