What usually leaks
- Cloud keys: AWS, Google, Stripe, OpenAI, Anthropic, Slack and more
- Passwords inside DATABASE_URL and REDIS_URL
- Signing secrets such as JWT_SECRET and SESSION_SECRET
- Admin emails and internal hostnames
Tips
- Harmless settings such as NODE_ENV or PORT are left alone, so the file still shows how the app is configured.
- If a value was ever committed to git or pasted anywhere public, rotate it. Redacting a copy does not un-leak the original.