Import and export

Most projects start with a .env file somewhere. Import brings it into Dopbase; export gets values back out when something needs the file form.

Importing a .env file

1. Open the environment that should receive the values and choose Import.
2. Pick the file. Parsing happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded yet. Lines that cannot be parsed are skipped and counted, with the reasons listed.
3. Review on the next page. It lists the key names the file contains. Values are never rendered, not even during review.
4. Choose a mode:
   • Merge adds new keys and updates existing ones. Keys already on the server but absent from the file are left alone. This is the default.
   • Replace makes the environment match the file exactly, including removing keys the file does not have.
5. Validate runs a dry run on the server. You get the result grouped into added, updated, unchanged, and deleted keys. Nothing is stored yet.
6. Apply performs the import. A second look at the deleted-keys group before this step costs nothing.

Two properties worth knowing:

• The review page exists so large files can breathe. It is a full page, not a popup.
• The parsed file lives in memory only. Reload the review page or navigate away and the import is dropped — start over from the file. No half-applied imports, and no plaintext lingering in the browser.

Exporting a .env file

Choose Export on an environment and Dopbase downloads a file named after the project and environment:

payment-service_production.env

Export requires a recent password confirmation, like reveal. The downloaded file contains plaintext values, and nothing about the download encrypts it. Treat the file the way you would treat any credential on disk: move it where it belongs, then delete it.

Which tool when

The CLI does the same jobs from a terminal:

dopbase import payment-service/staging .env.staging
dopbase export payment-service/staging --output .env.staging

The command reference covers the CLI flags, including --dry-run, --replace, and --stdout. See CLI commands. Use whichever is closer to the work; both write the same records and both create audit events.