# serverless-offline-dotenv

> ## Deprecation Notice
>
> Serverless v3 introduces [built-in support for dot-env files](https://www.serverless.com/framework/docs/environment-variables/)
> making this plugin somewhat redundant since:
>
> 1. it's always best to use built-in functionality wherever possible
> 2. the behavior of the two implementations are very much alike (though I've not thoroughly tested
> for any variations in behavior so could be wrong)
>
> Please update your projects to use the native support for dot-env files instead, or [raise an issue](https://github.com/apancutt/serverless-offline-dotenv/issues/new)
> if you believe this plugin should continue to be maintained (with reasons why).

Override environment variables configured in `serverless.yml` with any values provided in a `.env`
file located at the root of your project.

Both global and function-specific environment variables are overridden.

This plugin is intended for local development only, and is therefore only invoked on
`serverless offline start`.

## Installation

Install the plugin:

```bash
yarn add -D serverless-offline-dotenv
```

Add the plugin to your `serverless.yml` file:

```yaml
plugins:
    - serverless-offline-dotenv
    - serverless-offline
```

It is important that the `serverless-offline-dotenv` plugin is loaded before `serverless-offline`.

## Creating a `.env` file

Create a file at the root of your project named `.env` containing the environment variables that you
want to override locally.

```
# /path/to/project/.env

DB_HOSTNAME=127.0.0.1
DB_USER=me
# Lines starting with a hash are treated as comments
DB_PASSWORD=secret
```

Your `.env` file may contain sensitive information so you should add it to your `.gitignore` file.

You might want to provide a `.env.example` template to make setup easier for other developers.

```
# /path/to/project/.env.example

DB_HOSTNAME=127.0.0.1
DB_USER=<your local database username here>
DB_PASSWORD=<your local database password here>
```

Developers can then create a `.env` file from the template by running `cp .env{.example,}` and make
the appropriate changes.

## Serverless Variables

Any variables in your `.env` file that are prefixed with `SLS_` are assumed to be variables
[supported by the Serverless framework](https://github.com/dherault/serverless-offline#environment-variables)
and are therefore always appended to all functions.