diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc5afb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Example environment configuration
+# Copy this file to .env.development (or .env.production) and adjust values
+
+# API Configuration
+VITE_APP_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8888/api
+VITE_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8888
+
+# Environment: development | production
+VITE_APP_ENV=development
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4c058d0..76c84c3 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -23,3 +23,8 @@ coverage-dashboard.html
 npm-debug.log*
 yarn-debug.log*
 yarn-error.log*
+
+# Environment files (use .env.example as template)
+.env
+.env.development
+.env.production