penv
.env loader for Dart

penv

A tiny, dependency-light .env loader for Dart, with typed accessors and clear, actionable errors. One file, one function call, no build step — ptgc uses it for its own TelegramClient.fromEnv(), and it works just as well standalone.

import 'package:penv/penv.dart';

void main() {
  final env = penvload('.env');
  final port = env.getInt('PORT', defaultValue: 8080);
  print('Starting on port $port with key ${env['API_KEY']}');
}

Getting Started

Install the package and load your first .env file.

Examples

Four runnable programs covering parsing, overlays, and async loading.

API Reference

penvload, penvloadOrNull, penvloadAsync, and the typed accessors.

FAQ

Common questions about required keys, expansion, and process env overlays.

Why penv

  • No dependencies to speak of — reads and parses plain text, nothing else.
  • Real .env syntax — comments, export prefixes, single- and double-quoted values (with backslash escapes in double quotes), inline comments on unquoted values, and ${OTHER_KEY} variable expansion.
  • Typed accessors — getInt, getDouble, getBool, getString on the plain Map<String, String> penvload returns, with clear FormatExceptions instead of null-check crashes.
  • Required-key validation — pass required: [...] and get one clear MissingRequiredKeysException instead of scattered null checks.
  • Helpful on first run — if the file doesn’t exist, penvload writes a placeholder template for you (configurable) rather than just throwing.
  • A process-environment overlay — let real deployment env vars override values checked into .env, without pulling in unrelated system variables like PATH.

Install

dart pub add penv