JSON to ENV
Convert JSON into KEY=value dotenv lines. Nested objects become dot-flattened, uppercased keys; non-alphanumeric characters become underscores. Values containing whitespace are auto-quoted.
JSON in, ENV out
See exactly how JSON maps onto ENV — the converter on this page produces output identical to the example below.
{
"database": { "host": "localhost", "port": 5432 },
"debug": true,
"api_key": "sk-example-123"
}DATABASE_HOST=localhost DATABASE_PORT=5432 DEBUG=true API_KEY=sk-example-123
What you'll use this for
Converting JSON to ENV is a daily task in API integration, config management, and data pipelines.
API integration
Generate .env files from JSON config returned by a secrets manager.
Config migration
Move from JSON application config to twelve-factor environment variables.
Data import
Seed CI runners or container envs from a JSON manifest.
CI pipelines
Generate environment files from versioned JSON during deployment.
How to convert JSON to ENV
Paste your JSON
Drop it into the left editor. The sample is loaded by default — clear it or click the wand to reload.
Click Convert
Or leave auto-convert on for live updates. Conversion runs entirely in your browser — no upload.
Copy or download
Copy to clipboard or save the output as .env.
Reverse if needed
Jump to the ENV to JSON converter for a round-trip check.
Frequently asked questions
.env files are string-only by design. Numbers and booleans are serialized as text. Nested objects/arrays become JSON strings.
Keys are flattened with dots, then dots become underscores and the result is uppercased. Example: db.host → DB_HOST.
Yes. No signup, no limits.
You'll see a clear parse error in the output panel.
Use the ENV to JSON converter for the opposite direction.
About JSON and .env
Dotenv (.env) files store environment variables as KEY=value lines and are widely consumed by Node.js (dotenv), Python (python-dotenv), Docker Compose, and most modern frameworks.
Common pitfalls
- All values become strings — your runtime must parse numbers/booleans.
- Keys are uppercased and non-alphanumerics replaced with underscores.
- Values with spaces, quotes, or shell-special chars (
$) are double-quoted. - Multi-line values may not be portable across parsers — flatten them first.