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DotEnv File

Environment variables are used to store sensitive data such as API keys, tokens, and configuration settings outside the source code. This helps keep your code secure and makes it easier to manage different settings for various environments (e.g., local, staging, production). In Bruno, environment variables can be managed through .env files.

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DotEnv File for Secret Management

In Bruno, you can store your secrets (e.g., API keys, JWT tokens) in a .env file located at the root of your collection folder. This approach is inspired by how developers typically manage secrets in their codebase.

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Folder Structure Example

Below is an example folder structure for your collection:

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Creating and Using the .env File

  1. Create a .env file manually in the root of your collection folder. This file will store your sensitive environment variables.
  2. Define your secrets in the .env file. For example:
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JWT_TOKEN=your_jwt_token_value
API_KEY=your_api_key_value
These secrets will be accessible in your Bruno collection via the process.env object. dot env vars Bruno will automatically load the secrets from this file and make them available to your collection via process.env.<secret-name>. Your environment file at environments/local.bru would look like 
vars {
  baseURL: https://echo.usebruno.com
  JWT_TOKEN: {{process.env.JWT_TOKEN}}
  API_KEY: {{process.env.API_KEY}}
}
In this example, the JWT_TOKEN secret from the .env file is referenced using process.env.JWT_TOKEN. This will be replaced with the actual value of JWT_TOKEN when the collection is executed.

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Managing Secrets

  1. Always add the .env file to your .gitignore file to ensure secrets are not accidentally pushed to version control.
  2. If you need to share the structure of your environment variables with other developers, create a .env.sample file without actual secret values.

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Handling Variables with Dots

When using environment variables that contain dots in their names, use square bracket notation: 
# In .env file
example.test=mysecretvalue

// In your request
// Won't work
"secret": "{{process.env.demo.example.test}}"

// Works correctly
"secret": "{{process.env['example.test']}}"
This happens because Bruno interprets dots as object path separators. Square brackets tell Bruno to treat the entire string as a single variable name.

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Manage Environment Credentials

Bruno v3.1.0: You can now create, view, and delete environment variables directly from Bruno at the workspace level without manually editing .env files.

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Accessing Environment Variables

  1. Navigate to Workspace → Global Environment section
Create Environment File
  1. Create or edit environment variables with your credentials
Create Environment Variables
  1. Use these variables across all collections in your workspace using {{process.env.<variable-name>}} syntax.
Use Environment Variables This feature provides a centralized UI to create, view, and delete environment credentials directly from Bruno, eliminating the need to manually edit .env files while maintaining the same security and accessibility benefits.