Secrets management for Next.js

End-to-end encrypted environment variables for your Next.js app, across local, preview, and production.

To manage secrets in Next.js, replace your committed-and-copied `.env.local` files with Envless: a developer-first manager that encrypts variable values on your device before they ever reach the server. Inject `DATABASE_URL`, API keys, and other server-side secrets at build and runtime through the Envless CLI, and keep your `NEXT_PUBLIC_` variables organized in the same place. Every change is versioned with an attributed history, and local, staging, and production all read from one encrypted source of truth, so the next sync or run picks up the current value.

Where Next.js secrets get painful

  • Next.js secrets sprawl across .env.local, .env.production, Vercel project settings, and a teammate's DM, with no single source of truth and no record of who changed what.
  • It's easy to leak a server secret to the browser by mislabeling a NEXT_PUBLIC_ variable, and nothing flags the mistake before it ships.
  • Onboarding a developer means manually copying env files over Slack or 1Password, and rotating a key means hunting it down in every environment by hand.
  • Build-time vs runtime variable handling differs between local dev, preview deploys, and production, so values drift and 'works on my machine' bugs appear.

Manage secrets for Next.js with Envless

  1. 1

    Add a project and your environments

    Create a project in the Envless dashboard and define environments that mirror your Next.js workflow: local, preview/staging, and production. Add server secrets like DATABASE_URL and AUTH_SECRET alongside any NEXT_PUBLIC_ values. Each value is encrypted client-side before upload, so the server only ever stores ciphertext.

  2. 2

    Pull secrets into local development

    Authenticate the CLI once, then pull the environment for the project you're working on. Envless decrypts on your machine and writes the .env.<slug> file Next.js already reads, warning you when git would track it. Wrap your dev command with envless run instead and nothing is written to disk at all. 

    envless pull
envless run -- next dev
  3. 3

    Wire secrets into builds and runtime

    Run your build and start commands through the CLI so server-side variables are present for getServerSideProps, route handlers, and server components. Keep NEXT_PUBLIC_ variables in the same environment so build-time inlining stays consistent across machines. 

    envless run -- next build
envless run -- next start
  4. 4

    Use the SDK where you prefer code over CLI

    In Node, Bun, or Deno runtimes you can load variables programmatically with the typed TypeScript SDK instead of (or alongside) the CLI, then read them from process.env as usual. 

    import { env } from "@goenvless/env/server";
const dbUrl = env.DATABASE_URL;
  5. 5

    Control access, sync, and change history

    Assign workspace roles across 44 permissions so only the right people can read or change variables, and mark sensitive products private so they stay visible to the members you name. When you rotate a key or edit a value, every environment and teammate reads it from the same encrypted source of truth on their next sync or run. Version history and the attributed per-variable history record exactly what changed and when, and each change can be delivered to your own systems as a signed webhook. Sign-in is passwordless on every account, so there is no reusable password to leak.

Next.js secrets FAQ

Common questions about using Envless with this stack.

A .env.local file lives in plaintext on disk and gets copied around manually, with no history of changes. Envless encrypts each value on your device before upload, stores only ciphertext, and gives you versioning, an attributed change history on every variable, role-based access, and one source of truth that every environment and teammate reads from. You still get env vars in process.env, Envless just manages how they get there.

Yes. You store NEXT_PUBLIC_ variables in the same environment as your server secrets, and Next.js inlines them at build time as usual. Keeping both in one place means every machine and every preview build uses identical values, which avoids drift between local and deployed builds.

Yes. CI is just another environment. Use the CLI with an API key to pull or run with the right environment during builds and tests, or call the REST API at api.envless.cloud with a Bearer key. CI fetches on each run, so a pipeline reads the same values as local and production.

Not yet. The hosted platform is not self-hostable; it's something we're exploring. For now you run the CLI and SDKs against the hosted service at app.envless.cloud.

Get Started

Ship secrets, not chaos.

Start free today and discover why developers trust Envless for end-to-end encrypted, versioned secrets across every environment.