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Using Environment Variables

Environment variables are a powerful way to configure your applications without modifying code. They allow you to customize your application’s behavior, store configuration settings, and manage sensitive information like API keys and database credentials.

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What Are Environment Variables?

Environment variables are dynamic values that can affect the way running processes behave on a computer. In the context of containerized applications, they provide a way to:

  • Configure application settings
  • Store API keys and credentials
  • Toggle features on and off
  • Set configuration options
  • Define connection parameters

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Managing Environment Variables on RepoCloud

RepoCloud makes it easy to set, update, and manage environment variables for your applications through a simple web interface.

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Accessing Environment Variables

1

Navigate to Instance Management

Go to your application’s management page in the RepoCloud dashboard

2

Open Environment Variables

Click on the “Environment Variables” tab

3

View Current Variables

You’ll see a list of all currently configured environment variables

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Adding Environment Variables

1

Navigate to Environment Variables

Access the Environment Variables section as described above

2

Add New Variable

Click the “Add Variable” button

3

Enter Key and Value

Enter the variable name (key) and its value

Example:

  • Key: DATABASE_URL
  • Value: mysql://user:password@localhost:3306/mydatabase
4

Save Changes

Click “Save” or “Apply Changes” to update your application’s environment

5

Restart Application

In most cases, your application will automatically restart to apply the new variables

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Editing and Deleting Variables

1

Navigate to Environment Variables

Access the Environment Variables section

2

Edit a Variable

Click the edit icon next to the variable you want to modify, then update its value

3

Delete a Variable

Click the delete icon next to the variable you want to remove

4

Save Changes

Click “Save” or “Apply Changes” to update your application’s environment

Changes to environment variables typically require an application restart to take effect. RepoCloud automatically handles this for most applications.

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Sensitive Information and Security

Environment variables are commonly used to store sensitive information like API keys, passwords, and tokens. RepoCloud implements security measures to protect this data:

  • Encryption: Environment variable values are encrypted at rest
  • Masked Display: Sensitive values are masked in the interface (displayed as ••••••••)
  • Access Control: Only authorized users can view and modify environment variables
  • No Logging: Sensitive values are not written to application logs

Despite these precautions, you should never store extremely sensitive secrets (like private keys) as environment variables. For such cases, consider using a dedicated secrets management solution.

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Common Environment Variables

Different applications use different environment variables, but some common categories include:

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Application-Specific Variables

Each application has its own set of supported environment variables. Here are examples for some popular applications:

Check your application’s documentation to understand which environment variables are available and what they do. Many applications include a list of supported variables in their documentation.

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Best Practices

Follow these best practices when working with environment variables:

  1. Use descriptive names: Choose clear, descriptive names for your variables
  2. Separate development and production: Use different values for development and production environments
  3. Document your variables: Keep a record of what each variable does and why it’s needed
  4. Minimize sensitive data: Only store sensitive information in environment variables when necessary
  5. Use standard formats: Follow established formats for connection strings and other structured data
  6. Avoid hardcoding: Never hardcode values that should be configurable in your application code

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Troubleshooting

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Next Steps

Scaling

Learn how to scale your application resources

Updates

Keep your application updated with the latest features and security patches

Troubleshooting

Resolve common issues with your RepoCloud applications