---
id: python-dotenv
version: "1.2.2"
license: BSD-3-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# python-dotenv — Read key-value pairs from a .env file and set them as environment variables

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Popularity: top 100 on PyPI

## Install

pip install python-dotenv
uv add python-dotenv
poetry add python-dotenv

## Description

# python-dotenv

[![Build Status][build_status_badge]][build_status_link]
[![PyPI version][pypi_badge]][pypi_link]

python-dotenv reads key-value pairs from a `.env` file and can set them as
environment variables. It helps in the development of applications following the
[12-factor](https://12factor.net/) principles.

- [Getting Started](#getting-started)
- [Other Use Cases](#other-use-cases)
  - [Load configuration without altering the environment](#load-configuration-without-altering-the-environment)
  - [Parse configuration as a stream](#parse-configuration-as-a-stream)
  - [Load .env files in IPython](#load-env-files-in-ipython)
- [Command-line Interface](#command-line-interface)
- [File format](#file-format)
  - [Multiline values](#multiline-values)
  - [Variable expansion](#variable-expansion)
- [Related Projects](#related-projects)
- [Acknowledgements](#acknowledgements)

## Getting Started

```shell
pip install python-dotenv
```

If your application takes its configuration from environment variables, like a
12-factor application, launching it in development is not very practical because
you have to set those environment variables yourself.

To help you with that, you...

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/python-dotenv) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/python-dotenv/)