Dotenv is a zero-dependency Node.js module that loads key-value pairs from a `.env` file into `process.env`, helping keep configuration separate from application code (following the Twelve-Factor App approach). It is useful for local development and setup by reading configuration files early in your app startup, with options for preloading via Node’s `-r dotenv/config`.
Project status
- Actively maintained, with an upstream push and update on 2026-10-22, just one week before the assessment date.
- Updates have been frequent, with multiple v18 updates from mid-September through October, often several days apart.
AI summary generated
Recent updates
v18.0.9
The publisher supplied no release notes, but the changed CHANGELOG.md documents a CLI fix for empty DOTENV_PATH values. The code now treats an empty path as a request to use the default .env file; the remaining changes update package version metadata and add regression tests.
v18.0.8
No release notes were provided for v18.0.8 in the supplied release_notes payload. The code diff shows a small set of changes concentrated in fast parsing behavior, TypeScript typings for populate output, and added test coverage around Unicode line boundary quoting and undefined value preservation.
Breakingv18.0.7
v18.0.7 updates dotenv configuration and the CLI quiet-handling behavior around undefined values and environment variables loaded from .env. It changes how undefined options are merged with env-derived defaults, and adjusts CLI startup logging so quiet settings can come from the .env file.
v18.0.6
This release changes how dotenv interprets the `debug` and `override` options when building populated environment variables. Instead of treating any non-empty string as truthy, it now uses `parseBoolean` so values like the string "false" behave like `false`.
v18.0.5
This release (v18.0.5) changes dotenv internals to improve the performance of the fast .env parser on large inputs, and it updates the published TypeScript typing for the config subpath. It also adjusts the package export map and build outputs to ensure the config types are included in the distribution.
v18.0.4
v18.0.4 updates the behavior of the side-effect entrypoint `dotenv/config` so startup logging is quiet by default. The release also adds a CI performance benchmark run (`npm run test:perf`) and introduces a Node native parsing comparison when available.
Breakingv18.0.3
v18.0.3 is a patch release that primarily changes how DOTENV_QUIET is determined, so values set inside a .env file can suppress dotenv's first startup message. The code diff also includes small but real adjustments to the fast parser's handling of malformed or newline-separated export statements.
v18.0.2
No release notes were provided in the publisher data for v18.0.2. The changelog entry included with the repo states this is a patch release focused on additional edge cases for the fast parser.
v18.0.1
This patch release updates dotenv’s handling of file URLs passed via the `config({ path })` option. The functional change is focused on how dotenv derives a relative “from …” path for logging when the configured path is a `file://` URL, and it extends test coverage for this behavior.
v18.0.0
No publisher release notes were provided for v18.0.0. The code diff shows this version adds a new `dotenv` CLI entrypoint and introduces an opt-in `fast` character-scanner parser, but also removes or changes several existing behaviors related to preload, `.env.vault`, and module packaging.
v17.4.2
v17.4.2 was released with no publisher release notes. The diff shows no changes to the library runtime code, but does include documentation updates and substantial rewrites of the agent skill prompt files for both `dotenv` and `dotenvx`, plus the expected version bump in package manifests.
Featuresv17.4.1
This patch release (v17.4.1) makes a minimal code change. There are also documentation updates (README and skill docs) reflecting the same message change and adding some agent-related instructions.
v17.4.0
Release v17.4.0 was published on 2026-04-01, but no release notes were provided by the publisher. As a result, no developer-facing changes, fixes, or migration guidance can be extracted from the available material.
v17.3.1
v17.3.1 appears to be a documentation-focused release. The diff shows only README and changelog updates plus the package version bump, with no changes to the dotenv runtime code surfaced in the provided diff.
v17.3.0
This release (v17.3.0) appears to be primarily documentation and test updates, with a user-facing change to the randomized “tips” shown by the library. Although the repo changelog mentions only README/content changes, the code diff also updates the tip strings used at runtime. No dependency upgrades or runtime API changes are shown in the provided diff.
v17.2.4
This release is primarily a TypeScript typing update to better support passing Node.js environment variables into dotenv. The only functional-looking change in the diff is a type definition adjustment, plus some accompanying test coverage updates and minor documentation/marketing text changes.
v17.2.3
v17.2.3 makes changes centered around TypeScript type definitions and some CLI/user-facing “tips” text. The provided release notes are empty, so the only documented change in the repo (CHANGELOG.md) is not reflected in the publisher release notes you supplied.
Breakingv17.2.2
v17.2.2 primarily updates repository metadata and documentation. The code diff shows a package version bump plus README and changelog updates for sponsor recognition, along with removal of a repo-only configuration file (tea.yaml).
v17.2.1
v17.2.1 is a small patch release with changes concentrated in runtime console output (random “tip” strings) and documentation updates. Release notes were not provided by the publisher for this version, so the changes below are identified directly from the code diff.
Featuresv17.2.0
Release v17.2.0 was published on 2025-07-09, but no release notes were provided by the publisher. Without documented changes, it is not possible to identify specific new features, bug fixes, or breaking changes from the release notes alone.