diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index be2ac13..13dc0e1 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 __pycache__
 gatekeeper.db
+.env
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index 319afbe..5af8547 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 from fastapi.security import OAuth2PasswordBearer
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+
 from .controllers import userManager, cardManager, groupManager, aaManager, doorManager
 from .services.database import create_db_and_tables
 from .services.auth import token_router, create_first_user
@@ -9,6 +11,7 @@ oauth2_scheme = OAuth2PasswordBearer(tokenUrl="token")
 
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
+    load_dotenv()
     create_db_and_tables()
     create_first_user()
     print("Database created and tables initialized.")