.env to JSON Converter
Convert .env to JSON and JSON to .env, in your browser.
.pdf · up to 2 GB
What it's for
.env to JSON and JSON to .env effortlessly
Compatible with all frameworks
The .env format is compatible with Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Docker, Kubernetes, and virtually any development tool.
100% private
Your .env with secrets is processed only in your browser. Never sent to any server. Convert with complete safety.
Correct quote and comment handling
Single quotes, double quotes, # comments, and empty values are handled correctly per the dotenv specification.
Instant
Bidirectional conversion in real time. No signup, no waiting, no limits.
How it works
Three steps, no hassle
Paste your .env or JSON
Paste the content of your .env file or your JSON object. The tool automatically detects the format.
Bidirectional conversion
From .env to JSON: each variable becomes an object key. From JSON to .env: each top-level key becomes a KEY=VALUE line.
Copy the result
Copy the result with one click. Remember: never commit your .env with real secrets to a git repository.
FAQ
Got questions?
A .env (dotenv) file is a plain text file that stores environment variables in KEY=VALUE format, one per line. It is the standard mechanism for configuring applications without hardcoding secrets in source code. It was popularized by the Node.js dotenv library (created by Zach Holman in 2012) and is compatible with almost all modern languages and frameworks.
Lines beginning with # are treated as comments and are omitted in the conversion to JSON. When converting from JSON to .env, comments are not included since JSON has no direct equivalent for comments. If you need to preserve comments, add them manually to the resulting .env file.
Values in .env can be wrapped in single quotes ('value') or double quotes ("value"). Quotes are stripped when converting to JSON, preserving only the inner value. Values with spaces, special characters, or that begin with # should be quoted in the .env file to be interpreted correctly.
No. The .env format is flat by design: it only supports simple key-value pairs at the top level. To represent nested structures in environment variables, the convention is to use underscore-prefixed keys (DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_PORT) or serialize the value as JSON within the variable (DB_CONFIG='{"host":"localhost"}').
The .env file contains secrets such as API keys, database passwords, authentication tokens, and other sensitive credentials. If you commit a .env with real secrets to a git repository (especially a public one), those secrets are permanently exposed in git history, even if you delete them afterward. Always add .env to your .gitignore and use .env.example with placeholder values for the team.
12-factor app methodology, dotenv history, Docker env files, and secret management
The 12-factor app methodology (twelve-factor.net, created by Adam Wiggins at Heroku) states in its third factor that config should be stored in the environment, not in the code. This means credentials, database URLs, and API keys should be read from environment variables at runtime, not hardcoded in source code. .env files are the most common practical implementation of this principle for local development.
The dotenv library for Node.js, originally created by Zach Holman and maintained by motdotla, is one of the most downloaded dependencies on npm. It automatically loads the .env file from the root directory into process.env at application startup. Python has python-dotenv, Ruby has dotenv-rails, PHP has vlucas/phpdotenv, and Go has godotenv. The format is practically universal in modern web development.
In Docker environments, environment variables can be passed with --env-file .env or defined in docker-compose.yml. In Kubernetes, Secrets and ConfigMaps serve the same function. In CI/CD with GitHub Actions, variables are configured in Settings → Secrets. Converting between .env format and JSON is useful when migrating configuration between these platforms or when a tool expects configuration in a specific format. Convertir.ai performs this conversion entirely in your browser, without sending your secrets to any server.