.env.python.local

Write KEY=value , not KEY = value .

import os from dotenv import load_dotenv .env.python.local

In the early days of development, developers hardcoded configuration values directly into their scripts. This practice frequently led to security breaches when code was pushed to public repositories. Write KEY=value , not KEY = value

Always commit a ( .env.example ) that contains placeholder values and comments explaining each variable. This serves as documentation for what environment variables your application expects and provides a safe starting point for new developers. you should: pip install python-dotenv

In production environments, you typically won't need actual .env files. Instead, you should:

pip install python-dotenv