Double checking how to remove .env from repo

[MitchelliJ]

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Double checking how to remove .env from repo #126569

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Hi guys,
Indie dev here. I am about to get my code reviewed by two other devs and I just realised I forgot to add a .gitignore file, so my .env file is exposed in my code base. Ofcourse I want to keep its contents private. Its a private repo and the .env file is in the root folder.

I always find git super confusing, so would appreciate a double check on my plan;

Step 1: Add .gitignore file containing the .env file
Step 2: navigate to root folder and run git rm --cached.env
Step 3: commit & push
Step 4: invite other devs as collaborators

As I understand this will prevent them from seeing the .env in previous commits right?

Thanks for your time

Edit: leaving this here for future reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3y-eH2Tkp8

[dhruv8433]

@MitchelliJ

Your plan to remove the .env file from your repository is almost correct, but there's an important detail regarding the visibility of the .env file in the commit history. Simply adding the file to .gitignore and removing it from the staging area will not prevent it from being seen in previous commits. To completely remove the .env file from the commit history, you'll need to use the git filter-repo tool (or git filter-branch for older versions).

1. Add .gitignore file: Create a .gitignore file and add .env to it.

2. Remove the .env file from the repository and history:
   If you haven't already installed git filter-repo, you'll need to do that first:
   pip install git-filter-repo

3. Then, run the following command to remove the .env file from the entire history of the repository:
   git filter-repo --path .env --invert-paths

4. Commit the changes: Commit the removal of the .env file.
   git add .gitignore
   git commit -m "Add .gitignore and remove .env file from history"

Force push to update the remote repository:
git push origin --force

[MitchelliJ]

@dhruv8433 This is exactly what I need, thanks.