.env.development (RELIABLE)

"scripts": "dev": "node scripts/validate-dev-env.js && NODE_ENV=development nodemon src/index.js"

# docker-compose.yml version: '3.8' services: api: build: . env_file: - .env.development ports: - "$PORT:3000" Now, running docker-compose up automatically injects your dev variables. You can create scripts that modify behavior based on the presence of .env.development . .env.development

In the modern world of software development, the line between "it works on my machine" and production failure is often drawn by one thing: configuration . Environment variables have become the industry standard for managing this configuration, and at the heart of this practice lies a specific, powerful file: .env.development . "scripts": "dev": "node scripts/validate-dev-env