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Environment variables let you pass configuration values — like a Discord bot token or an API key — to your application without hardcoding them in your source code. On Daki Hosting, the recommended approach is to create a .env file directly on your server using the Portal’s file manager or SFTP.

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What you’ll learn

  • What environment variables are and why they matter
  • How to create a .env file on your server
  • How to load .env values in Node.js and Python
  • Best practices for keeping secrets safe

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What Are Environment Variables?

Environment variables are key-value pairs that your running application can read from its environment. They are the standard way to:
  • Store sensitive values (tokens, API keys, passwords) separately from code
  • Change configuration without modifying or redeploying source files
  • Avoid committing secrets to version control

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Creating a .env File

The simplest and most reliable way to manage environment variables on Daki is to create a .env file on your server. You can do this in two ways:

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Option 1: Using the File Manager (quick edits)

  1. Open your server in the Portal (portal.daki.cc).
  2. Go to the Files tab.
  3. Click New File and name it .env.
  4. Click the file to open it in the web editor and add your variables: 
    BOT_TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token_here
PORT=3000
DATABASE_URL=your_db_connection_string
  5. Click Save.
  6. Restart your server.
Connect to your server via SFTP (credentials in the Settings tab) and upload your .env file directly from your local machine. See File Manager for SFTP setup instructions.
Never commit your .env file to a public Git repository. Add .env to your .gitignore file to prevent accidental exposure of secrets.

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Loading .env Values in Your Application

Applications do not automatically read .env files — you need a library to load them into the environment.

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Node.js — using dotenv

Install the package (add it to your package.json as a dependency): 
{
  "dependencies": {
    "dotenv": "^16.0.0"
  }
}
Load it at the very top of your entry file: 
require('dotenv').config();

const token = process.env.BOT_TOKEN;
const port  = process.env.PORT || 3000;

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Python — using python-dotenv

Add python-dotenv to your requirements.txt: 
python-dotenv
Load it at the top of your entry file: 
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

token = os.environ.get("BOT_TOKEN")
port  = int(os.environ.get("PORT", 3000))

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.env File Format

Each line in a .env file follows the format KEY=VALUE: 
# Comments start with a hash
BOT_TOKEN=your_token_here
API_KEY=some_api_key
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DEBUG=false
  • Keys are typically uppercase with underscores.
  • Values do not need quotes, but quotes are supported.
  • Lines starting with # are comments and are ignored.

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Best Practices

  • Never hardcode tokens or secrets in your source code files, especially if your code is on GitHub.
  • Add .env to your .gitignore so it is never accidentally committed.
  • Create your .env file on the server, not locally — or use SFTP to upload a local .env that is excluded from version control.
  • Restart your server after creating or modifying your .env file.
  • Use descriptive key names that make your configuration self-documenting.

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Next Steps