---
id: dump-env
version: "1.7.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# dump-env — A utility tool to create .env files

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 95.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

dump-env is a command-line tool that generates .env files by reading an .env.template file and overlaying environment variables that match one or more specified prefixes. It has no external dependencies and runs as a pure Python utility. The tool is designed to simplify CI/CD workflows—particularly Docker image builds—where secrets and configuration need to be injected from CI provider environment variables without manual encryption/decryption logic.

The typical workflow is: define a template with default or placeholder values, set prefixed environment variables in your CI system (e.g., SECRET_ENV_DATABASE_URL), and run dump-env to merge them. The tool can enforce strict validation (fail if required variables are missing), support multiple prefixes, and optionally disable value quoting for compatibility with linters like dotenv-linter.

Use it for:

- Generate .env files in Docker builds by reading CI secrets prefixed with a convention like SECRET_ENV_.
- Enforce that all required environment variables are present before deploying, using the --strict flag.
- Merge multiple sources of configuration: a template for defaults and environment-specific overrides from CI.
- Create .env files in GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or Travis CI without custom shell scripting.
- Validate that template variables are defined in the environment before exporting to .env.

## Worth the install?

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

Generates .env files by merging an .env.template with environment variables matching specified prefixes, with optional strict validation and source filtering.

Yes. dump-env is a lightweight, actively maintained utility with zero dependencies, a permissive license, and a clear single purpose: simplifying .env generation in CI/CD pipelines. Install it if you manage environment configuration across Docker builds or CI systems and want to avoid shell scripting or manual secret handling.

## Install

pip install dump-env
uv add dump-env
poetry add dump-env

## Installing dump-env

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with zero runtime dependencies. Actively maintained as of 2026-04-20, last commit 2026-08-10, and marked Production/Stable.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) — you may use, modify, and distribute freely with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

$ pip install dump-env
$ dump-env --template=.env.template --prefix='SECRET_ENV_' > .env

Or in Python:
from dump_env import dump_env
# Command-line tool; no direct Python API documented

Requires Python 3.10 or later (supports 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14).

Verify before relying:

- Whether a programmatic Python API exists beyond the CLI tool documented in the excerpt.
- Performance characteristics when processing very large template files or many prefixed variables.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 95.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

.env file generation, environment variable templating, dotenv template tool, CI/CD secrets management, env file from template, prefix-based env vars, docker env file creation, ci-cd, secrets-management, dotenv

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