---
# quotesdb-q8u2
title: Create .env.example documenting DATABASE_URL and all local dev environment variables
status: completed
type: task
priority: normal
created_at: 2026-03-10T23:32:09Z
updated_at: 2026-03-10T23:32:16Z
blocked_by:
    - quotesdb-td4l
---

<context>
TRIAGE 33ed29 resolved the local dev database strategy: rusqlite with a local SQLite file.
The only environment variable required for local development is `DATABASE_URL` (optional — defaults
to `./quotesdb.sqlite`). No Turso, no wrangler, no Cloudflare account needed locally.

A `.env.example` file in the project root serves as self-documenting reference for contributors.
The `.env` file itself is gitignored (never committed). `.env.example` is committed and documents
all variables with their defaults and a brief description.
</context>

<goal>
Create `quotesdb/.env.example` with the following content:

```sh
# quotesdb local development environment variables
# Copy to .env and customise. The .env file is gitignored and must never be committed.
#
# All variables below have sensible defaults for local development and are OPTIONAL.

# Path to the local SQLite database file used by `cargo run` (native API server).
# The file is created automatically on first run; migrations run on startup.
# In production this variable is unused — the Workers runtime uses the D1 binding.
DATABASE_URL=./quotesdb.sqlite
```

Also ensure `.gitignore` in the `quotesdb/` root has an entry for `.env`:

```gitignore
.env
```
</goal>

<decisions-reflected>
- TRIAGE 33ed29: rusqlite + local SQLite file. `DATABASE_URL` is the only required env var.
- No Cloudflare account, no wrangler, no Turso credentials needed for local dev.
</decisions-reflected>

<constraints>
- `.env.example` must be committed to the repo. `.env` must be gitignored.
- Only document variables that are actually used by the codebase (see ticket 6e829e / 00aff0 for where DATABASE_URL is read).
- Do not add placeholder values for production secrets — `.env.example` is for local dev only.
- If production-only secrets (e.g., Cloudflare API tokens for infra) are identified later, add them in a separate PR with appropriate comments.
</constraints>

<validation>
Verify `.env.example` is tracked and `.env` is gitignored:

```sh
git status         # .env.example should appear as a new untracked file
echo "test" > .env
git status         # .env must NOT appear (should be ignored)
rm .env
```
</validation>

<commit>
`chore(quotesdb): add .env.example documenting DATABASE_URL for local dev`
</commit>