Nuxt

Prerequisites

Start with a Nuxt 4 app and Node.js. This guide deploys a standalone Node server.

Install

In your Nuxt project, install Dotenvx.

$ npm install @dotenvx/dotenvx

$ pnpm add @dotenvx/dotenvx

Encrypt

Start with a secret value in the .env file at your project root, like:

# .env
NUXT_HELLO="Secret"

Encrypt it with a single command.

$ npx dotenvx encrypt
◈ encrypted .env (022 0D8) via .env.keys ⛉

$ pnpm exec dotenvx encrypt
◈ encrypted .env (022 0D8) via .env.keys ⛉

The values become ciphertext and only your private key can unlock them.

# .env
DOTENV_PUBLIC_KEY="0220d830351410598be484f43a7b07097e09851f50426832876e8b5815a1752990"

NUXT_HELLO="encrypted:BHLTACNJMr00nTG6yXpkCyWFKF/MY0ajN855tg3uVtKopTe2AGzSkQlcPd21pTOT3Ci8IKrdIg2TMZFoq1mDR6yb06QCRvqHXtpkZkAHYCEHfeWqqC8tMFovcYq5JS2uZSrC/qUGDA=="

Commit

Commit your encrypted .env files with your code. It's safe. Now you can securely share secrets through git.

$ git add .env
$ git commit -m "encrypt .env"

Ship

Declare your private runtime configuration, keeping your other options:

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  runtimeConfig: {
    hello: ''
  }
})

Nuxt maps NUXT_HELLO to runtimeConfig.hello at runtime. Keep the default empty so the build does not capture your secret.

Read it in a server route:

// server/api/hello.get.ts
export default defineEventHandler((event) => {
  const config = useRuntimeConfig(event)
  return { hello: config.hello }
})

Display the result:

<!-- app/app.vue -->
<script setup lang="ts">
const { data } = await useFetch('/api/hello')
</script>

<template>
  <h1>Hello {{ data?.hello }}</h1>
</template>

NUXT_HELLO is a demonstration value. API responses reach the browser; use real secrets inside server routes without returning them.

Update these scripts in package.json, keeping your other scripts:

{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "dotenvx run -- nuxt dev",
    "build": "nuxt build --preset node-server",
    "start": "dotenvx run -f .env.production --strict -- node .output/server/index.mjs"
  }
}

Run your app:

$ npm run dev
⟐ injected env (2) from .env (022 0D8) via .env.keys

$ pnpm dev
⟐ injected env (2) from .env (022 0D8) via .env.keys

Dotenvx loads and decrypts .env before Nuxt starts. Your server route reads it through useRuntimeConfig(event).

Visit http://localhost:3000 to see Hello Secret.

Public browser variables Alternative →

Share

Have teammates? Share access with Dotenvx Armor ⛨

Log in to Dotenvx.

$ npx dotenvx login
◉ logged in (username)

$ pnpm exec dotenvx login
◉ logged in (username)

Create the Armored Key ⛨

$ npx dotenvx armor up
⛨ armored .env (022 0D8)

$ pnpm exec dotenvx armor up
⛨ armored .env (022 0D8)

Invite your teammate.

$ npx dotenvx armor invite
⛨ invited [email protected] to team

$ pnpm exec dotenvx armor invite
⛨ invited [email protected] to team

Your teammate accepts the invitation, pulls the repository, installs dependencies, and logs in with dotenvx login. They can then run the app:

$ npm run dev
⟐ injected env (2) from .env (022 0D8) via Armor ⛨

$ pnpm dev
⟐ injected env (2) from .env (022 0D8) via Armor ⛨

Visit http://localhost:3000 to see Hello Secret.

Share a private key Alternative →

Production

Create a .env.production file.

# .env.production
NUXT_HELLO="Production"

Encrypt it with an Enclaved Key ◊

$ npx dotenvx encrypt -f .env.production
◈ encrypted .env.production (022 0D8) via Armor Enclave ◊

$ pnpm exec dotenvx encrypt -f .env.production
◈ encrypted .env.production (022 0D8) via Armor Enclave ◊

When prompted, choose Enclaved, select your deployment service, connection, and resource, and use DOTENV_PRIVATE_KEY_PRODUCTION as the private key name.

Commit .env.production.

$ git add -f .env.production
$ git commit -m "encrypt .env.production"

Install dependencies and build your app in your deployment build step:

$ npm install
$ npm run build

$ pnpm install
$ pnpm build

This server-rendered example only needs its secret at runtime, so the build script does not decrypt it.

Deploy .output, package.json, the dependencies needed to run Dotenvx, and the encrypted .env.production file to the selected resource. Keep .env.production at the project root and .env.keys on your local machine.

Set NODE_ENV to production and PORT to the port your host expects (3000 by default). From the project root, run:

$ npm start

$ pnpm start

Dotenvx loads and decrypts .env.production with your Enclaved Key ◊

Open your deployed app's URL to see Hello Production.

Static generation Alternative →

Deploy with a private key Alternative →

For serverless or edge deployments, follow your platform’s Nuxt deployment preset; the scripts above target a Node server.

Conclusion

You've encrypted your secrets, shared access with Armor, and loaded production secrets in Nuxt with an Enclaved Key. Your secrets now travel with your code.