Guides

This section collects practical guides for using get-dotenv. Start here:

• Getting Started - Fast on‑ramps for CLI, programmatic API, embedding, and scaffolding.
• Cascade and precedence - How variables load and merge across paths and public/private/env axes.
• Dotenv editor - Format-preserving dotenv edits and deterministic target selection across paths.
• Provenance & Auditing - Trace the origin of environment variables (files, config, dynamic) for debugging and auditing.
• Shell execution behavior - How commands run cross‑platform; quoting rules, default shells, and capture tips.
• Config files and overlays - Author JSON/YAML/JS/TS config and apply privacy/source overlays (always‑on).
• Authoring Plugins - Compose CLIs with once‑per‑invoke dotenv context and plugin lifecycles.
• Shipped Plugins - The get‑dotenv host ships a small set of plugins that cover needs.
• STAN assistant guide - Compact, comprehensive reference for get-dotenv APIs, concepts, and usage patterns, targeted at STAN assistants.