Projects

EnvBox

Why we built an open-source tool for sharing environment variables, how it works, and what building it taught us about authentication, ORMs and npm packages.

Omid Bagheri
Omid BagheriFull-Stack developer

The short version

EnvBox is an open-source MVP that lets a small team share environment variables through encrypted storage, time-limited invite tokens and a two-command CLI. I built it after moving between machines at home made copying .env values through chat feel ridiculous — and after existing tools felt either heavier or more complex than the problem deserved.

The goal was not to replace enterprise secrets platforms. It was to get a git-like pull for env vars: join once, then pull dev / staging / prod from the terminal without opening a dashboard every time.

At a glance

  • Type: personal open-source product (MVP)
  • Built by: Omid Bagheri
  • Built in: about three weeks
  • Stack: Next.js 16, Better-Auth, Drizzle ORM, PostgreSQL (Neon), Commander.js
  • Distribution: CLI on npm (envbox-cli)
  • Used by: Omid and Amin on later projects that needed shared env or database settings
  • Source: GitHub


Read the case study

  1. Why sharing .env files does not scale
  2. How EnvBox works: invites, encryption and the CLI
  3. What building EnvBox taught us

See the project card in the portfolio.

Case studies in this topic

Why Sharing .env Files Does Not ScaleThe personal annoyance that started EnvBox, why existing options did not fit a small workflow, and what we wanted instead.
How EnvBox Works: Invites, Encryption and the CLIThe workflow, security choices and technology behind EnvBox, from invite tokens to the npm CLI — and why we designed it to feel like git pull for env vars.
What Building EnvBox Taught UsWhat a small env-sharing tool taught us about authentication, ORMs, npm CLIs — and how we reused that on later projects.