Understanding React Native env variables

Variables are essential elements in programming, and in JavaScript, they store values of data types that can be changed later. The text explains the use of environment variables, particularly in React Native, highlighting that these variables, set externally, store configurations like API endpoints and directory paths, allowing for better code management and reduced repetition. It emphasizes the importance of not storing sensitive data, such as API keys, in environment variables because they are not encrypted and can be accessed by inspecting the app's files. Different environment files, such as .env, .env.local, and environment-specific files like .env.development, .env.production, and .env.test, are used to manage these variables, each with a specific priority order during operations like npm start, npm run build, and npm test. The text also covers how to install and configure the dotenv package to inject environment variables in React Native, create custom environment variables, and switch between API endpoints based on the environment using NODE_ENV. Finally, it advises on using a .gitignore file to hide sensitive environment files from version control systems like Git and explores expanding existing environment variables for better management. The importance of environment-based rendering for maintaining application stability during development and production changes is highlighted, and tools like LogRocket are mentioned for enhancing app performance and debugging.