# Where is the .env file? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [June 3, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/where-is-the-env-file/196114 "2018-06-03T21:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![greg-han](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/greg-han/32/67119_2.png) [@greg-han](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/greg-han)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/where-is-the-env-file/196114/1 "2018-06-03T21:17:36Z")
When toying around with back-end on glitch, I can make changes to the .env file which I can later access with process.env. (I’m using Node and Express js). However, when cloning the github repo from free code camp, I can’t find the .env file on my own computer! I know that there is proably an incredibly easy way to find it, but I have been searching for an answer for almost 15 minutes now and i’m sure that someone here knows how to find it off the top of their head. Does anyone know? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![kevcomedia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/kevcomedia/32/125737_2.png) [@kevcomedia](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/kevcomedia)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/where-is-the-env-file/196114/2 "2018-06-04T01:23:33Z")
The .env file is not supposed to be committed on a repo, as it contains secret info like API keys. Setting up the `.env` file for freeCodeCamp: [https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp/blob/staging/CONTRIBUTING.md#set-up-freecodecamp](https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp/blob/staging/CONTRIBUTING.md#set-up-freecodecamp) On the freeCodeCamp repo there is a `sample.env` file. Copy this to `.env`, then fill out the API keys that you’ll use. The `MONGOHQ_URL` variable is the most important one. I can’t help further since I don’t have a copy of the repo in my computer, so I don’t know where to go from there. ---
**Author:** ![greg-han](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/greg-han/32/67119_2.png) [@greg-han](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/greg-han)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/where-is-the-env-file/196114/3 "2018-06-04T01:39:34Z")
Ahhh thanks. This is the “secret place” that all the encryption keys can go. If anyone else reads this, and they want to know how to avoid pushign it to the git repo here’s a link. > **[Exclude files from git without committing changes to .gitignore 🙅](https://hackernoon.com/exclude-files-from-git-without-committing-changes-to-gitignore-986fa712e78d?gi=24d53928d03e)** > > Yesterday a co-worker showed me a neat trick that I was previously unaware of. I’d been looking for something like it for some time, and I… ---
**Author:** ![ILM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/ilm/32/363239_2.png) [@ILM](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/ILM)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/where-is-the-env-file/196114/4 "2021-01-16T17:54:21Z")