--- title: "TIL: Node --env-file Replaces dotenv" description: Since Node 20.6 the node --env-file flag reads a .env file into process.env before your code starts. No dotenv install and no require line in the entry file. canonical: https://lukeocodes.dev/til-node-env-file type: article locale: en_GB published: 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z authors: - Luke Oliff section: TIL tags: - TIL - JavaScript - nodejs - dotenv - environment variables - cli feed: https://lukeocodes.dev/rss.xml search: https://lukeocodes.dev/search.json?q={query} schema: - "@context": https://schema.org "@graph": - "@type": WebSite "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/#website url: https://lukeocodes.dev name: Luke Oliff alternateName: lukeocodes inLanguage: en publisher: "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke#person description: Personal blog and writing by Luke Oliff — developer relations, voice AI, developer experience. potentialAction: - "@type": SearchAction target: "@type": EntryPoint urlTemplate: https://lukeocodes.dev/blog/search?q={search_term_string} query-input: required name=search_term_string - "@type": Person "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke#person name: Luke Oliff url: https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke description: Engineer and developer relations leader. Writing about developer relations, AI, and the voice industry, from the UK. mainEntityOfPage: https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke givenName: Luke familyName: Oliff image: https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke.jpg jobTitle: Engineer and developer relations leader sameAs: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeocodes - https://github.com/lukeocodes - https://bsky.app/profile/lukeocodes.dev - https://x.com/lukeocodes - https://hashnode.com/@lukeocodes - https://dev.to/lukeocodes knowsAbout: - Developer Relations - Developer Experience - Voice AI - Text-to-Speech - Answer Engine Optimisation - Search Engine Optimisation - Open Source - Developer Tooling - API Design - Speech-to-Text - Voice Agents - Community Building knowsLanguage: - English nationality: British alumniOf: - "@type": Organization name: The Open University - "@context": https://schema.org "@graph": - "@type": Person "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke#person name: Luke Oliff url: https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke description: Engineer and developer relations leader. Writing about developer relations, AI, and the voice industry, from the UK. mainEntityOfPage: https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke givenName: Luke familyName: Oliff image: https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke.jpg jobTitle: Engineer and developer relations leader sameAs: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeocodes - https://github.com/lukeocodes - https://bsky.app/profile/lukeocodes.dev - https://x.com/lukeocodes - https://hashnode.com/@lukeocodes - https://dev.to/lukeocodes knowsAbout: - Developer Relations - Developer Experience - Voice AI - Text-to-Speech - Answer Engine Optimisation - Search Engine Optimisation - Open Source - Developer Tooling - API Design - Speech-to-Text - Voice Agents - Community Building knowsLanguage: - English nationality: British alumniOf: - "@type": Organization name: The Open University - "@type": BlogPosting "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/til-node-env-file#article headline: "TIL: Node --env-file Replaces dotenv" alternativeHeadline: "TIL: Node --env-file Loads .env Without the dotenv Package" description: Since Node 20.6 the node --env-file flag reads a .env file into process.env before your code starts. No dotenv install and no require line in the entry file. datePublished: 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z dateModified: 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z url: https://lukeocodes.dev/til-node-env-file mainEntityOfPage: https://lukeocodes.dev/til-node-env-file inLanguage: en author: - "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke#person isPartOf: "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/#website keywords: TIL, JavaScript, nodejs, dotenv, environment variables, cli articleSection: TIL abstract: Run node --env-file=.env app.js and Node reads the file into process.env before your code runs. Added in Node 20.6.0. A variable already set in the shell wins over the file, and a later --env-file flag wins over an earlier one. speakable: "@type": SpeakableSpecification cssSelector: - .post-tldr - h1 image: https://lukeocodes.dev/og.png?h=TIL%3A+Node+--env-file+Replaces+dotenv&d=Since+Node+20.6+the+node+--env-file+flag+reads+a+.env+file+into+process.env+before+your+code+starts.+No+dotenv+install+and+no+require+line+in+the+entry+file.&e=Writing wordCount: 192 timeRequired: PT1M publisher: "@id": https://lukeocodes.dev/authors/luke#person - "@type": BreadcrumbList itemListElement: - "@type": ListItem position: 1 name: Home item: https://lukeocodes.dev - "@type": ListItem position: 2 name: Writing item: https://lukeocodes.dev/blog - "@type": ListItem position: 3 name: "TIL: Node --env-file Replaces dotenv" item: https://lukeocodes.dev/til-node-env-file --- [Luke Oliff.](/) - [Blog](/blog) - [CV](/cv) - [Uses](/uses) - [User manual](/user-manual) - [Living with ADHD](/living-and-working-with-adhd) - [RSS](/rss.xml) [Luke Oliff · Writing](/blog) # TIL: Node --env-file Loads .env Without the dotenv Package Oct 2026 · [TIL](/blog/category/til) · 1 min read · [Luke Oliff](/authors/luke) **TL;DR:** Run node --env-file=.env app.js and Node reads the file into process.env before your code runs. Added in Node 20.6.0. A variable already set in the shell wins over the file, and a later --env-file flag wins over an earlier one. Node can read a `.env` file on its own now. The flag is `--env-file`, and it has been in Node since 20.6.0. ```bash node --env-file=.env app.js ``` Node reads the file before your code runs and puts each line into `process.env`. Comments, quotes and values that span more than one line work the same way they do in the dotenv package. If a variable is already set in your shell, the shell value wins. Pass the flag twice and the second file wins over the first, so `--env-file=.env --env-file=.env.local` gives you a shared file and a local override. I wrote about [the dotenv package](https://lukeocodes.dev/til-dotenv-nodejs) back in 2020. For most projects you can uninstall it and delete the require line. ### What if the file is missing? `--env-file` stops with an error when the file is not there. `--env-file-if-exists`, added in 22.9.0, carries on without it. Use that one in a Dockerfile where the `.env` only exists on your laptop. ### Can I load it from code instead? Yes. `process.loadEnvFile(".env")` does the same thing from inside a script, and the argument is optional when the file is called `.env`. It landed in 20.12.0. [← Newer: Does llms.txt Work? What a Year of Server Logs Says](/does-llms-txt-work) [All posts](/blog) → ## Search this site `GET https://lukeocodes.dev/search.json?q=` returns matching posts as JSON, each with its page URL and its markdown URL. Add `&limit=<1-50>` for more than 10. How it works: [/blog/search](https://lukeocodes.dev/blog/search.md). ```sh curl "https://lukeocodes.dev/search.json?q=developer+relations" ``` --- © 2026 Luke Oliff. 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