Python: Django and FastAPI without python-dotenv files

• Django does not read .env files. Settings read os.environ.
• python-dotenv's load_dotenv() skips names that are already set, unless you pass override=True.
• pydantic-settings ranks environment variables above the env_file. A missing file is ignored.
• uvicorn --env-file calls load_dotenv(), so the same rule applies.

bash
npx getmyenv import
rm .env

Existing load_dotenv() calls can stay. With the file gone, they load nothing. Delete it, or a name missing from getmyenv falls back to the old file value without a warning.

run refuses names that change how Python starts, like PYTHONPATH. PYTHONUNBUFFERED and PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE are allowed. Keep the others out of the context.

python
# settings.py
import os

SECRET_KEY = os.environ["DJANGO_SECRET_KEY"]
DEBUG = os.environ.get("DJANGO_DEBUG") == "1"

bash
npx getmyenv run -- python manage.py runserver
npx getmyenv run -- python manage.py migrate

python
# settings.py
from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, SettingsConfigDict

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    model_config = SettingsConfigDict(env_file=".env")
    database_url: str

settings = Settings()

bash
npx getmyenv run -- uvicorn main:app --reload

database_url comes from DATABASE_URL in the environment. Values passed to Settings(...) in code still win over both.

On the server, the token goes in a file only root can read. Wrap the start command in ExecStart. Use full paths: systemd's PATH does not include your virtualenv, and Node and npx must be installed.

# /etc/systemd/system/mysite.service
[Service]
User=mysite
WorkingDirectory=/srv/mysite
EnvironmentFile=/etc/mysite/getmyenv.env
ExecStart=/usr/bin/npx getmyenv run production -- /srv/mysite/.venv/bin/gunicorn mysite.wsgi
Restart=on-failure

/etc/mysite/getmyenv.env holds one line, GETMYENV_TOKEN=..., a server token for Production. For FastAPI, put uvicorn main:app --workers 4 from the virtualenv after -- instead.

With Ask me, the first start waits for your approval on Requests. journalctl -u mysite shows the link. More on servers: /docs/machine-access. Other languages: /docs/languages.