How do you manage environment variables and secrets in a Python web project?

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Managing environment variables and secrets securely in a Python web project is essential to protect sensitive data like API keys, database credentials, and configuration settings. Here are best practices and tools commonly used:

1. Use Environment Variables

Store secrets in environment variables to avoid hardcoding sensitive data in source code. You can set them in your system, shell, or deployment environment (e.g., Docker, cloud service, CI/CD pipelines).

In Python, access them using os.environ:

2. .env Files with python-dotenv
During local development, store environment variables in a .env file and load them with the python-dotenv package.
3. Configuration Management
Create a config.py or use a settings module to load and organize your environment variables based on development, testing, or production needs.
4. Use Secret Managers
In production, use tools like AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or HashiCorp Vault to manage and securely access secrets.
5. Git Ignore and CI/CD
Always add .env to .gitignore to prevent exposing secrets via version control. Inject variables in CI/CD pipelines securely.
Summary: Use os.environ, .env files (with python-dotenv), secret managers, and a centralized config system to manage environment variables and secrets safely in Python web projects.
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