DotEnv In Flutter

flutter_dotenv is a Flutter package that allows you to load environment variables from a .env file in your Flutter application. An environment variable is a key-value pair that holds configuration information, such as API keys, database credentials, or any other sensitive data. By using a .env file, you can separate your sensitive information from your codebase and easily manage different configurations for different environments (e.g., development, staging, production).

Here’s a brief introduction on how to use flutter_dotenv:

1. Add the flutter_dotenv package to your pubspec.yaml file:

dependencies:
  flutter_dotenv: ^3.1.0

2. Run flutter pub get to fetch the package.

3. Create a .env file in the root directory of your Flutter project. This file will contain your environment variables in the format of KEY=VALUE. For example:

API_KEY=your_api_key_here

4. add .env file to the assets in pubspec.yaml file :

 assets:
    - .env

5. Import the flutter_dotenv package in your Dart file:

import 'package:flutter_dotenv/flutter_dotenv.dart';

6. Load the environment variables from the .env file:

void main() async {
  await dotenv.load();
  runApp(MyApp());
}

The dotenv.load() function loads the environment variables from the .env file and makes them accessible via the dotenv.env object.

7. Access the environment variables in your code using the dotenv.env object:

String apiKey = dotenv.env['API_KEY']!;

You can access the values of environment variables using the key provided in the .env file. If the environment variable is not found or empty, you can provide a default value or handle it accordingly.

By using flutter_dotenv, you can separate your sensitive information from your codebase, easily manage different configurations, and ensure that your sensitive data is not exposed in your version control system.