dotenvx vs Envshed

dotenvx encrypts secrets stored in.env files, then decrypts and injects them when an application runs. Its maker describes it as free and open source, with hosted and self-hosted deployment options. Public-key encryption uses a secp256k1 key pair, keeping the private decryption key separate from the encrypted file. For development, the private key can be stored in the operating system’s secret store, including macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, or Linux Secret Service. Listed workflow tools include environment selection and composition, validation, pre-commit leak prevention, Docker image protection, key/value operations, and runtime log redaction. The maker says encrypted files can travel with code and be decrypted at runtime using a private key supplied in the deployment environment, without a secrets service in the application’s critical path. Installation options include CLI, npm, winget, Homebrew, GitHub releases, Docker, a Ruby gem, and Python pip. Guides cover developer tools, programming languages, and deployment services. The free User plan includes CLI, SDKs, encryption, and GitHub Issues support. Member is $5 a month; Business is $90 a month. The paid product has a 14-day free trial.

Envshed is a cloud secrets manager for small engineering teams, with a CLI that works across monorepos. It manages secrets and environments, supports per-user overrides, warns about expirations, allows project duplication and keeps an audit trail. For pnpm or npm workspaces, the CLI can detect workspaces and retrieve secrets from the repository root. Listed integrations include GitHub Actions, Docker, a Node.js SDK, a CLI for any shell and Coolify; a REST API supports languages including Python, Go and Rust. Secret values are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, traffic uses TLS 1.3, and encryption keys are held separately from encrypted data. Envshed offers role-based access control and an immutable audit trail, including records of secret reads and changes. The maker says it is not a zero-knowledge vault: a small on-call group with production credentials could technically decrypt a secret value. Data is stored in one region on US-based cloud infrastructure. Self-hosting is unavailable, and the service is not yet SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified. The Developer plan is free forever for up to two members and three projects; Team is $5/user/month and Business is $9/user/month.