Use direct `process.env` access and standardized configuration management instead of custom environment variable wrappers. Avoid redundant abstraction layers when the framework or libraries already handle environment variable inference automatically. **Key principles:** - Use direct `process.env.VARIABLE_NAME` instead of custom env objects when possible - Leverage `@t3-oss/env-nextjs` package for environment variable validation and type safety - Follow standard naming conventions: `ENABLED_XXX` for feature flags and `XXX_API_KEY` for API keys - Centralize environment configuration in dedicated config files (e.g., `src/config/app.ts`) - Let frameworks handle automatic environment variable inference (e.g., next-auth automatically reads `AUTH_XXX` variables) **Example:** ```typescript // ❌ Avoid custom wrappers when direct access works clientId: authEnv.AUTH_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID ?? process.env.AUTH_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID // ✅ Use direct access for new implementations clientId: process.env.AUTH_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID // ✅ Use @t3-oss/env-nextjs for validation import { createEnv } from '@t3-oss/env-nextjs'; export const appEnv = createEnv({ server: { ENABLED_CLOUDFLARE: z.boolean().default(false), CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY: z.string().optional(), } }); ``` This approach reduces complexity, improves maintainability, and leverages existing framework capabilities for environment variable management.