> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bruno-a6972042-mintlify-066affab.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Process Environment Variables

## Overview

Process environment variables are used to store sensitive information, such as API keys, passwords, and other secret values. These values are typically stored in a .env file. For more details on secret management, refer to the [secret management](/secrets-management/dotenv-file) section.

### Creating a Process Environment Variables

To create process environment variables, you can add a .env file to the root of your Bruno collection. This file will store your secrets, which can then be accessed throughout the collection.

#### Example

In your Bruno collection, the structure might look like this:

<Tree>
  <Tree.Folder name="bruno-collection" defaultOpen>
    <Tree.Folder name="api-folder" defaultOpen>
      <Tree.Folder name="customer-api">
        <Tree.File name="example.bru" />
      </Tree.Folder>

      <Tree.Folder name="emp-api">
        <Tree.File name="details.bru" />
      </Tree.Folder>

      <Tree.File name="lib.js" />
    </Tree.Folder>

    <Tree.File name=".env" />

    <Tree.File name=".gitignore" />

    <Tree.File name="bruno.json" />

    <Tree.File name="package.json" />
  </Tree.Folder>
</Tree>

In the `.env` file, you would store a key-value pair, like this:

```bash showLineNumbers filename=".env" theme={null}
authkey = anc123
```

### Using the Process Environment Variables

To access the values stored in the `.env` file, you can use the `process.env` global object. For example, if you want to retrieve the key value from your `.env` file, you would use:

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/bruno-a6972042-mintlify-066affab/irSQVuruDE7r3mWE/images/screenshots/variables/creating-process-env-variables.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=irSQVuruDE7r3mWE&q=85&s=1d027ff404f612fd776f6366f1a8c4e0" alt="image" width="2472" height="888" data-path="images/screenshots/variables/creating-process-env-variables.webp" />

You can use `process.env.<secret-name>` throughout your Bruno collection to securely manage and access your environment variables.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/bruno-a6972042-mintlify-066affab/_qqQkC-8dnbyg-8e/images/screenshots/variables/using-process-env-variables.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=_qqQkC-8dnbyg-8e&q=85&s=c781d29bf648ba3a4d380d5db03ae62b" alt="image" width="2472" height="888" data-path="images/screenshots/variables/using-process-env-variables.webp" />

<Info>
  Starting from Bruno **v3.1.0**, you can create and manage `.env` files directly inside Bruno at workspace level. Check the [Secret Management - Dotenv File](/secrets-management/dotenv-file) section for more details.
</Info>