Most modern frameworks (Next.js, Vite, Create React App, Nuxt) have adopted a hierarchical loading system for environment files. They load files in a specific order, allowing you to override default values.
Is it just another dotfile? Absolutely not. Misunderstanding .env.local can lead to production secrets leaking into your Git history, or worse, hours of debugging "why does my app work locally but not on staging?" .env.local
Now, go check your .gitignore . Is .env.local in there? Good. Happy coding. Most modern frameworks (Next