diff --git a/backend/.env.example b/backend/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..032ef84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# MongoDB Database Configuration
+MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/paisable_db
+
+# JWT Secret Key (use a strong, random string in production)
+JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-here
+
+# Google Generative AI (Gemini) API Key
+# Get your API key from: https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
+GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-api-key-here
+
+# Server Port (optional, defaults to 5000)
+PORT=5000
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/.env.example b/frontend/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..157f183
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Backend API URL
+# For development, use your local backend server
+# For production, use your deployed backend URL
+VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/.gitignore b/frontend/.gitignore
index a3ab6e3..45cfca7 100644
--- a/frontend/.gitignore
+++ b/frontend/.gitignore
@@ -23,4 +23,7 @@ dist-ssr
 *.sln
 *.sw?
 
-.env.*
\ No newline at end of file
+.env.local
+.env.development.local
+.env.test.local
+.env.production.local
\ No newline at end of file