The file named .env.prod is used in software development to store environment-specific configuration variables for production environments. These variables might include API keys, database URLs, or any other sensitive information that should not be hardcoded into the source code. Here's a detailed look:
.env.prod file, sensitive information is kept separate from the codebase, reducing the risk of exposing these details through version control systems like Git12factor.net..prod suffix indicates that this file is intended for production use, distinguishing it from development (.env.dev), testing (.env.test), or staging (.env.staging) environments.The concept of environment variables for configuration has been around for decades, but the practice of using separate files for different environments became more prevalent with the rise of containerization and microservices. The term ".env" became popular with tools like:
.env for Node.js projects, which inspired the use of similar files in other languages and frameworksGitHub - dotenv..env.prod is a common convention, some teams might use .env.production or similar variations. Consistency within a project or organization is key..env.prod file should not be committed to version control. Instead, it's often added to .gitignore or similar files to prevent accidental exposurefreeCodeCamp.