diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 2c7a502..1bebe33 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 #----------------------- PROJECT CONFIGURATION --------------------------------
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
 project(cpp-dotenv VERSION 1.0.0)
 
-set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 
 if ("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "")
@@ -12,6 +12,21 @@ else()
 endif()
 message(STATUS "Building CPP-DOTENV in ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE} mode")
 
+# Option to build both static and shared libraries
+option(BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES "Build both static and shared libraries" OFF)
+
+# Validate that BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES and BUILD_SHARED_LIBS are not used together
+if(BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES AND BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+    message(WARNING "BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES and BUILD_SHARED_LIBS should not be used together. BUILD_SHARED_LIBS will be ignored.")
+    set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS OFF CACHE BOOL "Build shared libraries" FORCE)
+endif()
+
+# When building shared libraries that link against static libraries,
+# we need position-independent code for the static libraries
+if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS OR BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES)
+    set(CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE ON)
+endif()
+
 #------------------- SUBDIRECTORY ADDITION ------------------------------------
 
 add_subdirectory(common)
@@ -19,29 +34,82 @@ add_subdirectory(src)
 
 #----------------------- LIBRARY CONFIGURATION --------------------------------
 
-set(CPP_DOTENV cpp_dotenv CACHE INTERNAL "")
 set(CPP_DOTENV_SRC
     src/dotenv.cpp
     include/dotenv.h
 )
 
-add_library(${CPP_DOTENV} ${CPP_DOTENV_SRC})
+# Common include directories
+set(CPP_DOTENV_INCLUDE_DIRS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include)
 
-target_link_libraries(${CPP_DOTENV}
-    ${ENVIRON_LIB}
-    ${PARSER_LIB}
-)
+# Common compile options - handle MSVC vs GCC/Clang
+if (MSVC)
+    # MSVC-specific flags
+    if ("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "DEBUG")
+        set(CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS /W4 /Od)
+    else()
+        set(CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS /W4 /O2)
+    endif()
+else()
+    # GCC/Clang and other compilers using Unix-style flags
+    if ("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "DEBUG")
+        set(CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS -g -Wall -O0)
+    else()
+        set(CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS -O3)
+    endif()
+endif()
 
-target_include_directories(${CPP_DOTENV} PUBLIC
-    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include
-)
+# Build both static and shared libraries if requested
+if(BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES)
+    # Static library
+    add_library(cpp_dotenv_static STATIC ${CPP_DOTENV_SRC})
+    target_link_libraries(cpp_dotenv_static
+        ${ENVIRON_LIB}
+        ${PARSER_LIB}
+    )
+    target_include_directories(cpp_dotenv_static PUBLIC ${CPP_DOTENV_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    target_compile_options(cpp_dotenv_static PRIVATE ${CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
+    # Set output name to libcpp_dotenv.a (instead of libcpp_dotenv_static.a)
+    set_target_properties(cpp_dotenv_static PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME cpp_dotenv)
 
-if ("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "DEBUG")
-    target_compile_options(${CPP_DOTENV} PRIVATE
-        -g -Wall -O0
+    # Shared library
+    add_library(cpp_dotenv_shared SHARED ${CPP_DOTENV_SRC})
+    target_link_libraries(cpp_dotenv_shared
+        ${ENVIRON_LIB}
+        ${PARSER_LIB}
     )
+    target_include_directories(cpp_dotenv_shared PUBLIC ${CPP_DOTENV_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    target_compile_options(cpp_dotenv_shared PRIVATE ${CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS})
+    # Set output name. On non-MSVC platforms, both static and shared libraries use
+    # the same base name "cpp_dotenv". On MSVC, give the shared library a distinct
+    # base name to avoid conflicts between the static library (.lib) and the
+    # import library for the shared library (also .lib).
+    if(MSVC)
+        set_target_properties(cpp_dotenv_shared PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME cpp_dotenv_shared)
+    else()
+        set_target_properties(cpp_dotenv_shared PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME cpp_dotenv)
+    endif()
+
+    # Alias for backward compatibility:
+    # When BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES is ON, the cpp_dotenv target is an alias to
+    # cpp_dotenv_static. Projects that need the shared library must explicitly
+    # link against cpp_dotenv_shared instead of cpp_dotenv.
+    add_library(cpp_dotenv ALIAS cpp_dotenv_static)
 else()
+    # Single library (type determined by BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+    set(CPP_DOTENV cpp_dotenv CACHE INTERNAL "")
+    add_library(${CPP_DOTENV} ${CPP_DOTENV_SRC})
+
+    target_link_libraries(${CPP_DOTENV}
+        ${ENVIRON_LIB}
+        ${PARSER_LIB}
+    )
+
+    target_include_directories(${CPP_DOTENV} PUBLIC
+        ${CPP_DOTENV_INCLUDE_DIRS}
+    )
+
     target_compile_options(${CPP_DOTENV} PRIVATE
-        -O3
+        ${CPP_DOTENV_COMPILE_OPTIONS}
     )
 endif()
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index aad33c5..24a0a63 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -39,11 +39,11 @@ C++ implementation of NodeJS [dotenv](https://github.com/motdotla/dotenv) projec
 
 Supported build methods are:
 
-- [CMake](#cmake) (>=3.10)
+- [CMake](#cmake) (>=3.16)
 
 ### CMake
 
-**cpp-dotenv** comes with support for `CMake` right out of the box. In order to use it, simply include this repository's directory and link the `cpp_dotenv` target to your own targets where needed:
+**cpp-dotenv** comes with support for `CMake` right out of the box (>=3.16). In order to use it, simply include this repository's directory and link the `cpp_dotenv` target to your own targets where needed:
 
 ```cmake
 add_subdirectory(cpp-dotenv)
@@ -55,6 +55,42 @@ target_link_libraries(YOUR_TARGET cpp_dotenv)
 
 After this, you might use the library as described in [usage](#usage); no extra scoping, no need to worry about the project's directory structure.
 
+#### Build Options
+
+By default, only one library target named `cpp_dotenv` is built. The type of library (static or shared) is controlled by CMake's standard `BUILD_SHARED_LIBS` option:
+
+```bash
+# Build static library (default)
+cmake -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF ..
+
+# Build shared library
+cmake -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON ..
+```
+
+#### Building Both Static and Shared Libraries
+
+To build both static and shared libraries in a single build directory, use the `BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES` option:
+
+```bash
+cmake -DBUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES=ON ..
+```
+
+This creates two separate library targets:
+- `cpp_dotenv_static` - outputs as `libcpp_dotenv.a`
+- `cpp_dotenv_shared` - outputs as `libcpp_dotenv.so` (or `.dylib` on macOS)
+
+For backward compatibility, the `cpp_dotenv` target remains available as an alias to `cpp_dotenv_static`. If you need to link against the shared library, explicitly specify `cpp_dotenv_shared`:
+
+```cmake
+# Link against static library (default)
+target_link_libraries(YOUR_TARGET cpp_dotenv)
+
+# Link against shared library
+target_link_libraries(YOUR_TARGET cpp_dotenv_shared)
+```
+
+**Note:** When `BUILD_BOTH_LIBRARIES` is enabled, `BUILD_SHARED_LIBS` is ignored. Do not use both options simultaneously.
+
 ## Usage
 
 To be able to use the dotenv classes, simply include the main header file:
diff --git a/common/libs/antlr4-cpp-runtime/CMakeLists.txt b/common/libs/antlr4-cpp-runtime/CMakeLists.txt
index 1b488f2..e00a12c 100644
--- a/common/libs/antlr4-cpp-runtime/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/common/libs/antlr4-cpp-runtime/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0.2)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.16)
 project(antlr4-cpp-runtime VERSION 4.8)
 
-set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 
 if ("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "")
diff --git a/include/dotenv.h b/include/dotenv.h
index 1b3a9c8..3d786d6 100644
--- a/include/dotenv.h
+++ b/include/dotenv.h
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ namespace dotenv
 
     public:
 
-        dotenv& load_dotenv(const std::string& dotenv_path = env_filename,
+        dotenv& load_dotenv(const std::string& dotenv_path = ".env",
                             const bool overwrite = false,
                             const bool interpolate = true);
 
@@ -28,18 +28,27 @@ namespace dotenv
         void operator=(const dotenv&) = delete;
 
         static dotenv& instance();
-    
+
     private:
 
         dotenv() = default;
 
     private:
 
+        // Declare static members (definitions are inline after the class)
+        // NOTE: env_filename is kept for backward compatibility; external code
+        // may reference dotenv::dotenv::env_filename directly.
         static const std::string env_filename;
         static dotenv _instance;
 
     };
 
 
+    // C++17 inline variable definitions after class is complete
+    // Note: _instance cannot be inline inside the class due to incomplete type
+    inline const std::string dotenv::env_filename = ".env";
+    inline dotenv dotenv::_instance;
+
+
     extern dotenv& env;
 }
diff --git a/src/common/logger.cpp b/src/common/logger.cpp
index 9430cf1..b335605 100644
--- a/src/common/logger.cpp
+++ b/src/common/logger.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ bool logger::position::operator<(const position& p) const
 }
 
 
-bool logger::position::less::operator()(const position& p1, const position& p2)
+bool logger::position::less::operator()(const position& p1, const position& p2) const
 {
     return p1 < p2;
 }
diff --git a/src/common/logger.h b/src/common/logger.h
index f2a91a3..4daa68e 100644
--- a/src/common/logger.h
+++ b/src/common/logger.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ namespace dotenv
 
             struct less
             {
-                bool operator()(const position& p1, const position& p2);
+                bool operator()(const position& p1, const position& p2) const;
             };
 
         public:
diff --git a/src/dotenv.cpp b/src/dotenv.cpp
index 89bd3c1..9e55b18 100644
--- a/src/dotenv.cpp
+++ b/src/dotenv.cpp
@@ -8,10 +8,14 @@
 
 
 using namespace std;
-using namespace dotenv;
 
 
-dotenv::dotenv& dotenv::dotenv::load_dotenv(const string& dotenv_path, const bool overwrite, const bool interpolate)
+// Type alias to work around the fact that class name matches namespace name
+// This is a known C++ limitation when defining out-of-line members
+typedef class ::dotenv::dotenv DotenvClass;
+
+
+DotenvClass& ::dotenv::dotenv::load_dotenv(const string& dotenv_path, const bool overwrite, const bool interpolate)
 {
     ifstream env_file;
     env_file.open(dotenv_path);
@@ -27,19 +31,17 @@ dotenv::dotenv& dotenv::dotenv::load_dotenv(const string& dotenv_path, const boo
 }
 
 
-const dotenv::dotenv::value_type dotenv::dotenv::operator[](const key_type& k) const
+const string DotenvClass::operator[](const key_type& k) const
 {
     return getenv(k).second;
 }
 
 
-dotenv::dotenv& dotenv::dotenv::instance()
+DotenvClass& ::dotenv::dotenv::instance()
 {
     return _instance;
 }
 
 
-const string dotenv::dotenv::env_filename = ".env";
-dotenv::dotenv dotenv::dotenv::_instance;
-
-dotenv::dotenv& dotenv::env = dotenv::instance();
+// Define the global 'env' reference. Static members are inline in the header (C++17).
+::dotenv::dotenv& ::dotenv::env = ::dotenv::dotenv::instance();