---
id: django-dotenv
version: "1.4.2"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# django-dotenv — foreman reads from .env. manage.py doesn't. Let's fix that.

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 239.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

django-dotenv adds a single function call to load environment variables from a .env file before Django initializes. You add dotenv.read_dotenv() at the top of manage.py or wsgi.py, and the package reads your .env file and populates os.environ, letting you follow 12-factor app principles without editing Django's core files. It has no runtime dependencies and works by wrapping the standard dotenv module.

The package is marked production-stable but abandoned: the last release was in 2017 and the repository's final commit was in 2021. It was tested on Python 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8. Because it has not been updated since then, compatibility with modern Django or Python versions is unknown and unsupported.

Use it for:

- Load database credentials and API keys from .env during local Django development without committing secrets to version control.
- Configure Django settings via environment variables in Docker containers or cloud deployments.
- Set up WSGI applications to read .env files automatically on startup without modifying application code.
- Manage different environment configurations by switching .env files at deployment time.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Loads environment variables from a .env file into Django's manage.py and WSGI applications before Django initializes.

Yes, if your Django project uses Python 3.5–3.8 and corresponding Django versions from that era. The package is simple, dependency-free, and solves a real problem. No, if you are using modern Python or Django versions, because the package is abandoned and untested on those releases. Verify compatibility with your exact versions before installing.

## Install

pip install django-dotenv
uv add django-dotenv
poetry add django-dotenv

## Installing django-dotenv

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last release was in 2017 and last commit in 2021—so it will not receive bug fixes or security updates.

License in practice: Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install django-dotenv

# In manage.py:
import dotenv

if __name__ == "__main__":
    dotenv.read_dotenv()
    # ... rest of manage.py

Requires dotenv module to be available; conflicts with python-dotenv if both are installed.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably with Django versions and Python releases beyond those tested (3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8).
- Compatibility implications if both django-dotenv and the similarly-named python-dotenv package are installed together.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 239.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

django environment variables .env, load .env file django, django-dotenv manage.py, environment configuration django, 12-factor app django, dotenv django integration, .env file django wsgi, django-integration, environment-config, abandoned

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