.env.go.local May 2026

| Feature | Benefit | |--------|---------| | No accidental commits | Git ignores .env.go.local | | Team defaults | .env provides sane fallbacks | | Local freedom | Override any variable without touching shared files | | Simple debugging | Set LOG_LEVEL=debug only on your machine | | Easy CI/CD | CI can rely on .env or system environment variables |

| Approach | When to use | |----------|--------------| | Single .env + shell env vars | Simple projects, single developer | | Multiple .env. files* | Need env‑specific (dev/staging/prod) overrides | | .env.go.local | Team development, persistent local overrides | | Config struct + viper | Production apps needing hot reload, multiple formats | .env.go.local

For most microservices and CLI tools, .env.go.local hits the sweet spot between simplicity and flexibility. | Feature | Benefit | |--------|---------| | No

# Local development overrides
.env.go.local

You need a Go module initialized and the popular godotenv package. You need a Go module initialized and the

# Initialize a module if you haven't
go mod init myapp