Can I run Express in production mode through .env?

I am using the dot env NPM package. I have set NODE_ENV=production in the .env file. Will this put express into production mode, or do I need to explicitly set this in the command to start the app?I am following this guide and don't see it mentioned: https://expressjs.com/en/advanced/best-practice-performance.html#set-node_env-to-production

Submitted May 06, 2020 at 02:34AM by fishingBakersfield