Makefile with .env

.env

EXAMPLE=deadbeef

README.md

Makefiles with .env

Using a .env file is pretty standard practice for many developers. It allows you to configure your local environment and use good security practices.

With Make, like many things, we can utilize a .env file all the same with a few lines of code, and start exporting those secrets to tasks in the Makefile.

Makefile

.PHONY: env_test

# export the local .env file if found
ifneq (,$(wildcard ./.env))
    include .env
    export
endif

# re-export the .env var to the commands
env_test: export EXAMPLE = ${EXAMPLE}
env_test:
	sh -c 'echo $$EXAMPLE'

output.txt

[@] > make env_test
sh -c 'echo $EXAMPLE'
deadbeef