Crates / Compare / dotenvy vs config
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
dotenvy vs config
Short answerBy steady daily use, dotenvy is bigger: 660,037 real downloads a day against 252,378 for config (2.6x). 2,640 crates depend on dotenvy and 1,665 on config. dotenvy last shipped 3.6 years ago, config 24 days ago.
dotenvy
Widely usedWidely used and quiet for years.
2,640 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
A well-maintained fork of the dotenv crate
config
Widely usedWidely used and losing ground.
1,665 crates depend on it; small bumps on release days (1.19x the baseline).
Layered configuration system for Rust applications.
dotenvyconfig · 100% = that crate's normal quiet day, so a spike to 300% is triple its usual traffic
Every number, side by side
| Same window, same method | dotenvy | config |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 660,037 | 252,378 |
| Crates that depend on it | 2,640 | 1,665 |
| Last release | 0.15.7, 3.6 years ago | 0.15.27, 24 days ago |
| Trend vs the field | +6% | -11% |
| Release-window share | 0.0% | 5.5% |
| Downloads in the window | 58,744,843 | 21,268,704 |
| All-time downloads | 194,786,847 | 123,477,676 |
| Versions published | 7 | 59 |
| License | MIT | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| MSRV | 1.56.1 | 1.88.0 |
| First published | Feb 28, 2022 | Apr 16, 2015 |
Which to pick
- Downloads tell you what is common, not what fits. Each crate's own description above says what it is for; when the jobs differ, pick by the job.
- When both fit, prefer the one more crates depend on (dotenvy, 2,640 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: dotenvy 3.6 years ago, config 24 days ago.
Also in this space
Method
Real downloads = the median day with no release that day or the day before, from the crates.io API (Jul 27, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026). Raw crates.io counts include CI and bots and run high (why); the method is from our 90-day study.
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