Updated: How to use .env files with the Azure SDK for Java

static void loadEnvironmentProperties() {
    Dotenv ENVIRONMENT = Dotenv.load();
    ENVIRONMENT.entries().forEach(entry -> System.setProperty(entry.getKey(), entry.getValue()));
}

```javascript

Well, I’m super happy to let you know that Carmine DiMascio, the [java-dotenv package](https://github.com/cdimascio/java-dotenv) creator and maintainer, just implemented a feature that will tell `java-dotenv` to also write the values from `.env` to `System.properties` - which are read by the Azure SDKs.

So instead of the above you just need to call `systemProperties()` when you load the `.env` file, like so:

## NEW

```java

Dotenv.configure().systemProperties().load();

```markdown

Here’s how to get everything setup. I’m going to assume that you already have a Java project - but you can find all of the source code for this simple sample here: [https://github.com/jongio/azsdkjavaenv](https://github.com/jongio/azsdkjavaenv)

## 1. Add .env file to project

Create `.env` file in your project and add the following settings:

```bash

AZURE_CLIENT_ID=
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=
AZURE_TENANT_ID=

```python

These are the service principal settings that you get from calling `az ad sp create-for-rbac --role Contributor` to create a service principal - which will be used by DefaultAzureCredential. Make sure the service principal has the appropriate policy set to create a key. You can find those commands here: [Authorizing an application to use a key or secret](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/key-vault/general/manage-with-cli2#authorizing-an-application-to-use-a-key-or-secret)

You can use this command to assign the right policy to your service principal.

```bash

az keyvault set-policy -n KEY_VAULT_NAME --spn AZURE_CLIENT_ID --secret-permissions get list set delete --key-permissions create decrypt delete encrypt get list unwrapKey wrapKey update

```markdown

## 2. Add java-dotenv Package

This package is used to read the `.env` file.

> Make sure you add version 5.2.0

```xml

<dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.cdimascio</groupId>
    <artifactId>java-dotenv</artifactId>
    <version>5.2.0</version>
</dependency>

```markdown

## 3. Add java-dotnet import

```java

import io.github.cdimascio.dotenv.Dotenv;

```csharp

## 4. Add code to load .env

Notice that we are now calling `systemProperties()`, which is the new method that will load the `.env` values into the Java System properties.

```java

Dotenv.configure().systemProperties().load();
System.out.print(System.getProperty("AZURE_CLIENT_ID"));

```csharp

When you run the above code, it should print the value that you have for AZURE\_CLIENT\_ID in your `.env` file.

## 5. Add Azure SDK Packages

Now that we have java-dotenv set, let’s get it working with the Azure SDKs. We’ll new up a DefaultAzureCredential, pass that to KeyClient, and create a key.

Add these to pom.xml

```xml

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.azure</groupId>
    <artifactId>azure-security-keyvault-keys</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.3</version>
</dependency>

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.azure</groupId>
    <artifactId>azure-identity</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.6</version>
</dependency>

```markdown

You can find all the Azure SDK for Java releases here: [https://aka.ms/azsdk/java](https://aka.ms/azsdk/java)

## 6. Add Azure SDK imports

Add imports to your Java code file.

```java

import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredential;
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.keys.KeyClientBuilder;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.keys.models.KeyType;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.keys.models.*;
import com.azure.security.keyvault.keys.KeyClient;

```sql

## 7. Create Key Vault

To run the sample, you are going to need to create an Azure Key Vault. You can do so with the Azure CLI [`az keyvault create`](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/keyvault?view=azure-cli-latest#az-keyvault-create) or Azure Portal.

Add the following to your `.env` file and replace the URL with your Key Vault uri.

```bash

AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL=https://jongkv.vault.azure.net/

```csharp

## 8. Add Azure SDK Code

We’ll first new up a DefaultAzureCredentail object, which under the covers will new up an EnvironmentCredential object, which will read the `AZURE_CLIENT_ID`, `AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET`, and `AZURE_TENANT_ID` values from System.properties which were written to by the java-dotenv package.

We then new up a KeyClient, and then create a key.

```java

// Build new DAC, which will read from System.Properties
DefaultAzureCredential cred = new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build();

// Use DAC when constructing a Key Vault client.
KeyClient keyClient = new KeyClientBuilder().vaultUrl(System.getProperty("AZURE_KEYVAULT_URL")).credential(cred)
        .buildClient();

KeyVaultKey key = keyClient.createKey("key1", KeyType.RSA);

System.out.printf("Key created. Name %s Id %s", key.getName(), key.getId());