dotenv-diff 2.6.1 → 2.6.2

package/docs/configuration_and_flags.md

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+# Configuration
+
+dotenv-diff can be configured using CLI flags or a configuration file.
+CLI flags always take precedence over configuration file values.
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+### General Flags
+
+- [--init](#configuration-file)
+- [--env](#--env-file)
+- [--example](#--example-file)
+- [--allow-duplicates](#--allow-duplicates)
+- [--ignore](#--ignore-keys)
+- [--ignore-regex](#--ignore-regex-patterns)
+- [--fix](#--fix)
+- [--json](#--json)
+- [--color](#--color)
+- [--no-color](#--no-color)
+- [--ci](#--ci)
+- [--yes](#-y---yes)
+
+### File Scanning Flags
+
+- [--files](#--files-patterns)
+- [--include-files](#--include-files-patterns)
+- [--exclude-files](#--exclude-files-patterns)
+
+### Display Options
+
+- [--show-unused](#--show-unused)
+- [--no-show-unused](#--no-show-unused)
+- [--show-stats](#--show-stats)
+- [--no-show-stats](#--no-show-stats)
+
+### Validation Flags
+
+- [--strict](#--strict)
+- [--secrets](#--secrets)
+- [--no-secrets](#--no-secrets)
+- [--ignore-urls](#--ignore-urls-list)
+- [--uppercase-keys](#--uppercase-keys)
+- [--no-uppercase-keys](#--no-uppercase-keys)
+- [--expire-warnings](#--expire-warnings)
+- [--no-expire-warnings](#--no-expire-warnings)
+- [--inconsistent-naming-warnings](#--inconsistent-naming-warnings)
+- [--no-inconsistent-naming-warnings](#--no-inconsistent-naming-warnings)
+
+### Comparison Flags
+
+- [--compare](#--compare)
+- [--check-values](#--check-values)
+- [--only](#--only-list)
+
+## Configuration file
+
+You can generate a default configuration file using the `--init` flag:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --init
+```
+
+This creates a `dotenv-diff.config.json` file in the project root with an example configuration
+
+> **Note:** You can use all CLI flags in the config file
+
+## General Flags
+
+### `--env <file>`
+
+Path to a specific `.env` file (default: `.env`).
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --env .env.production
+```
+
+This is the `.env` file that will be compared against your codebase.
+
+Commonly used together with the `--compare` flag:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare --env .env.production --example .env.example
+```
+
+This compares the specified `.env.production` file against the `.env.example` file.
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "env": ".env.production"
+}
+```
+
+### `--example <file>`
+
+Path to the example `.env` file.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --example .env.test
+```
+
+This can also be used as the `.env` file that will be compared against your codebase. (The `--example` flag will override the `--env` flag if both are provided.)
+
+Again, this is also commonly used with the `--compare` flag:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare --env .env.production --example .env.test
+```
+
+This compares the specified `.env.production` file against the `.env.test` file.
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "example": ".env.test"
+}
+```
+
+In short, `--env` defines the runtime environment file, while `--example` defines the reference file used for comparison.
+
+### `--allow-duplicates`
+
+Allows duplicate keys in `.env` files without throwing a warning (or error in strict mode).
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --allow-duplicates
+```
+
+This is useful when you have legitimate reasons for duplicate keys in your environment files.
+
+This flag can also be used together with the `--compare` flag:
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "allowDuplicates": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--ignore <keys>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of keys to ignore during the comparison other than the default ignored keys which is:
+
+- `PWD`
+- `NODE_ENV`
+- `VITE_MODE`
+- `MODE`
+- `BASE_URL`
+- `PROD`
+- `DEV`
+- `SSR`
+
+This is useful when you have certain environment variables that are expected to differ between environments and you want to exclude them from the comparison.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --ignore SECRET_KEY,API_TOKEN
+```
+
+This flag can also be used together with the `--compare` flag:
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "ignore": ["SECRET_KEY", "API_TOKEN"]
+}
+```
+
+### `--ignore-regex <patterns>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of regex patterns to ignore keys matching those patterns during the comparison.
+
+This is useful when you have patterns of environment variable names that are expected to differ between environments and you want to exclude them from the comparison.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --ignore-regex SECRET_,API_
+```
+
+This flag can also be used together with the `--compare` flag:
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "ignoreRegex": ["SECRET_", "API_"]
+}
+```
+
+### `--fix`
+
+Automatically fix issues found during the comparison by adding missing keys, remove duplicates and add .env to .gitignore if missing.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --fix
+```
+
+This flag can also be used together with the `--compare` flag:
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "fix": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--json`
+
+Outputs the results in JSON format.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --json
+```
+
+This flag can also be used together with the `--compare` flag:
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "json": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--color`
+
+Enables colored output in the terminal (enabled by default).
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --color
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "color": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-color`
+
+Disables colored output in the terminal.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-color
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "noColor": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--ci`
+
+Run in CI mode: non-interactive and read-only.
+Prevents all file creation and modification, including prompts for missing files.
+Always exits with an error if issues are found. Recommended for CI/CD pipelines.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare --ci
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "ci": true
+}
+```
+
+### `-y, --yes`
+
+Run non-interactively and automatically accept all prompts with "yes".
+Useful for automation when you want to auto-create missing files or apply fixes without manual confirmation.
+Cannot be combined with `--ci` (use one or the other).
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare --fix --yes
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "yes": true
+}
+```
+
+## File Scanning Flags
+
+### `--files <patterns>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of file patterns to scan for environment variable usage.
+This **completely replaces** the default file patterns (use `--include-files` to extend instead).
+Useful when you want full control over which files are scanned.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --files "src/**/*.ts,config/*.js"
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "files": ["src/**/*.ts", "config/*.js"]
+}
+```
+
+### `--include-files <patterns>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of file patterns to **add** to the default scan patterns.
+This extends the default patterns rather than replacing them (unlike `--files`).
+Useful when you want to include additional file types while keeping the defaults.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --include-files "*.config.js,scripts/*.sh"
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "includeFiles": ["*.config.js", "scripts/*.sh"]
+}
+```
+
+### `--exclude-files <patterns>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of file patterns to exclude from scanning.
+These patterns are added to the default exclude patterns (like `node_modules`, `dist`, etc.).
+Useful when you want to skip specific files or directories that shouldn't be scanned.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --exclude-files "tests/**,*.spec.ts"
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "excludeFiles": ["tests/**", "*.spec.ts"]
+}
+```
+
+## Display Options
+
+### `--show-unused`
+
+List variables that are defined in `.env` but not used in the codebase (enabled by default).
+Helps identify environment variables that may be outdated or unnecessary.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --show-unused
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "showUnused": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-show-unused`
+
+Do not list variables that are defined in `.env` but not used in code.
+Use this flag to hide the unused variables section from the output.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-show-unused
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "showUnused": false
+}
+```
+
+### `--show-stats`
+
+Display statistics about the scan or comparison results (enabled by default).
+Shows metrics like files scanned, total usages, unique variables, and warnings count.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --show-stats
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "showStats": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-show-stats`
+
+Do not display statistics in the output.
+Use this flag to hide the statistics section for a cleaner output.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-show-stats
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "showStats": false
+}
+```
+
+## Validation Flags
+
+### `--strict`
+
+Enable strict mode: treat all warnings as errors and exit with error code 1.
+In strict mode, issues like unused variables, duplicates, secrets, and framework warnings will cause the process to fail.
+Useful for enforcing strict environment variable hygiene in CI/CD pipelines.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --strict
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "strict": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--secrets`
+
+Enable secret detection during codebase scan (enabled by default).
+Scans your code for hardcoded secrets like API keys, tokens, passwords, and other sensitive values.
+Detects high and medium severity secrets that may pose security risks.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --secrets
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "secrets": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-secrets`
+
+Disable secret detection during scan.
+Use this flag to skip the secret scanning phase and improve scan performance.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-secrets
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "secrets": false
+}
+```
+
+### `--ignore-urls <list>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of URLs to ignore during secret detection.
+Useful for whitelisting known safe URLs that might otherwise be flagged as potential secrets.
+Uses case-insensitive substring matching.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --ignore-urls https://safesecret
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "ignoreUrls": ["https://example.com", "localhost"]
+}
+```
+
+### `--uppercase-keys`
+
+Enable validation that environment variable keys follow UPPER*SNAKE_CASE naming convention (enabled by default).
+Warns about keys that don't match the pattern `[A-Z0-9*]+` and suggests properly formatted alternatives.
+Helps maintain consistent naming conventions across your environment files.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --uppercase-keys
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "uppercaseKeys": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-uppercase-keys`
+
+Disable uppercase key validation.
+Use this flag if your project uses different naming conventions for environment variables.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-uppercase-keys
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "uppercaseKeys": false
+}
+```
+
+### `--expire-warnings`
+
+Enable detection of expiration dates for environment variables (enabled by default).
+Detects `@expire` or `# @expire YYYY-MM-DD` comments in `.env` files and warns when variables are approaching or past their expiration date.
+Useful for managing temporary API keys, tokens, or time-sensitive credentials.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --expire-warnings
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "expireWarnings": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-expire-warnings`
+
+Disable expiration date warnings.
+Use this flag to skip checking for `@expire` annotations in environment files.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-expire-warnings
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "expireWarnings": false
+}
+```
+
+### `--inconsistent-naming-warnings`
+
+Detects inconsistent naming patterns in environment variable keys (enabled by default). This helps identify keys that are semantically the same but use different formatting styles (e.g., `API_KEY` vs `APIKEY`, `DATABASE_URL` vs `DATABASEURL`). The tool compares keys and warns when they match after removing underscores, suggesting the snake_case version as the standard.
+
+Use this to maintain consistent naming conventions across your environment variables and avoid confusion.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --inconsistent-naming-warnings
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "inconsistentNamingWarnings": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--no-inconsistent-naming-warnings`
+
+Disable inconsistent naming pattern warnings.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --no-inconsistent-naming-warnings
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "inconsistentNamingWarnings": false
+}
+```
+
+# Comparison Flags
+
+This is flags related to comparing two `.env` files.
+And can only be used in combination with the `--compare` flag.
+
+### `--compare`
+
+Explicitly enables the comparison between the specified `.env` file and the example `.env` file.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare
+```
+
+This flag is useful when you want to ensure that your runtime environment file matches the structure of your example file.
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "compare": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--check-values`
+
+Compare not only the keys but also the values of the environment variables between the two files.
+
+This flag can only be used in combination with the `--compare` flag.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare --check-values
+```
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "checkValues": true
+}
+```
+
+### `--only <list>`
+
+Specify a comma-separated list of keys to exclusively check in the comparison.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```bash
+dotenv-diff --compare --only missing,duplicate
+```
+
+This flag can only be used in combination with the `--compare` flag.
+
+`--only` accepts the following values:
+
+- `missing`: Check for missing keys in the runtime `.env` file compared to the example file.
+- `extra`: Check for extra keys in the runtime `.env` file that are not present in the example file.
+- `empty`: Check for keys that have empty values in the runtime `.env` file.
+- `duplicate`: Check for duplicate keys in either of the `.env` files.
+- `gitignore`: check if the `.env` file is listed in `.gitignore`.
+
+Usage in the configuration file:
+
+```json
+{
+  "only": ["missing", "duplicate"]
+}
+```