Managing environment variables across multiple projects can quickly become a headache. Have you ever accidentally used the wrong API key, or spent time cleaning up your shell after switching projects? If so, you’re not alone.
It's very easy to get messy when managing different environment variables for different projects.
For example, you might need a different API_KEY for Project A and Project B.
Manually setting these every time is tedious and error-prone.
direnv comes to fix this - a tool that automatically loads but also unloads environment variables as you navigate between different project directories.
Benefits of using direnv:
1. Install direnv — Follow the instructions at https://direnv.net
2. Create a .envrc file in each project directory
Example:
# .envrc for Project A
export API_KEY=aloha
# .envrc for Project B
export API_KEY=hohoho
3. Approve the environment — The first time you enter a project directory, direnv will ask for your approval to load the environment variables.
Now, when you cd into Project A, API_KEY is set to aloha. When you leave, it’s unset. Enter Project B, and API_KEY is now hohoho.
direnv is a simple tool to simplify managing environment variables in your multiple projects.
It ensures you always have the right environment variables for the right project you're working on.
With direnv, you can avoid cluttering environment variables in your global shell environment - you don't want that!