Using DotEnv

Bodu.Text.DotEnv reads and writes .env files - a flat object of KEY=value entries with export prefixes, quoting, and comments. Values are deliberately literal: no ${VAR} interpolation happens at parse time.

Pattern 1 - query a document

using Bodu.Text.DotEnv.Document;

using DotEnvDocument env = DotEnvDocument.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(".env"));
DotEnvElement root = env.RootElement;

string url = root.GetProperty("DATABASE_URL").GetString();
bool hasOptional = root.TryGetProperty("OPTIONAL_KEY", out DotEnvElement value);

foreach (DotEnvProperty property in root.EnumerateObject())
{
    Console.WriteLine($"{property.Name} = {property.Value.GetString()}");
}

Pattern 2 - typed settings via the serializer

The Web defaults apply the SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE naming policy with case-insensitive matching, so conventional env keys bind onto PascalCase members:

using Bodu.Text.DotEnv;

sealed class Settings
{
    public string? AppEnv { get; set; }       // APP_ENV
    public int AppPort { get; set; }          // APP_PORT
    public string? DatabaseUrl { get; set; }  // DATABASE_URL
}

Settings settings = DotEnvSerializer.Deserialize<Settings>(
    envText, new DotEnvSerializerOptions(DotEnvSerializerDefaults.Web));

Deserialize<Dictionary<string, string>> binds the whole file as a dictionary. The write direction (Serialize) emits KEY=value lines; DotEnvSerializerOptions.WriteExportPrefix adds the export keyword.

Pattern 3 - author and round-trip with the mutable DOM

using Bodu.Text.DotEnv.Nodes;

DotEnvObject root = DotEnvNode.Parse(File.ReadAllBytes(".env"));
root["APP_PORT"] = new DotEnvValue("9090");
root.SetExport("APP_PORT", true);              // emit "export APP_PORT=9090"
File.WriteAllBytes(".env", root.ToUtf8Bytes());

The mutable DOM preserves each entry's export flag through the round trip.

Quoting rules

Double quotes delimit values, resolve escape sequences, and may span lines.
Single quotes delimit literal values.
Unquoted values are trimmed and end at an inline # comment.
An empty value (KEY=) is a real value, distinct from an absent key.

DotEnvReaderOptions can disable the export prefix or inline comments (DisallowExportPrefix, DisallowInlineComments).

Exceptions

DotEnvFormatException for malformed input (unterminated quote, missing =), with line/offset. DotEnvSerializationException for binding failures.

When not to use it

Anything with sections or nesting (INI or TOML), and layered configuration (Bodu.Text.Configuration).

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