To set up a secure environment with your .env file and replace sensitive keys in your project, follow these steps:

1. Create the .env File:

   In your project root, create a file named .env and paste the following variables:

   PORT=3001
   MONGO_URI="mongodb+srv://Ashish:[email protected]/userCredentials"
   FRONTEND_URL="http://localhost:3000"
   

   Note: Avoid committing this file to version control, as it contains sensitive information. Add .env to your .gitignore file if it’s not there already.

2. Replace the Gemini API Key in Bot.js:

   Go to client/src/Components/Bot.js, locate line 21, and replace the placeholder with your actual API key. Format it as follows:

   url: process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY,

3. Add GEMINI_API_KEY to .env:

   In your .env file, add the GEMINI_API_KEY like this:

   GEMINI_API_KEY="your_actual_api_key_here"
   

4. Configure Environment Variable Access:

   If you're using dotenv (in Node.js), make sure to load environment variables at the top of your server file:

   require('dotenv').config();

5. Frontend Configuration:

   To access environment variables in the frontend, prefix them with REACT_APP_ in .env. Update .env:

   REACT_APP_GEMINI_API_KEY="your_actual_api_key_here"
   

   And then update Bot.js:

   url: process.env.REACT_APP_GEMINI_API_KEY,

This ensures your keys are securely managed while the application runs smoothly.