Environment Variables - RepoCloud Documentation

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.

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

Managing Environment Variables on RepoCloud

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

Accessing Environment Variables

Navigate to Instance Management

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

Open Environment Variables

Click the “Edit Env Vars” button

View Current Variables

You’ll see a list of all currently configured environment variables as key/value rows (values are masked)

Adding Environment Variables

Navigate to Environment Variables

Access the Edit Env Vars section as described above

Add New Variable

Click the ”+ Add New Variable” button

Enter Key and Value

Enter the variable name (key) and its value in the new rowExample:

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

Save Changes

Click “Save Changes” and confirm. Your application will restart with the new variables applied.

Editing and Deleting Variables

Navigate to Environment Variables

Access the Edit Env Vars section

Edit a Variable

Change the key or value directly in the row you want to modify

Delete a Variable

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

Save Changes

Click “Save Changes” and confirm to update your application’s environment

Saving environment variable changes restarts your application so the new configuration takes effect. The restart typically takes 3-7 minutes.

Sensitive Information and Security

Environment variables are commonly used to store sensitive information like API keys, passwords, and tokens. RepoCloud protects this data in the dashboard:

Masked Display: Values are masked in the interface (displayed as ••••••••)
Access Control: Only your account can view and modify your instances’ environment variables

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.

Common Environment Variables

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

Database Connection Strings

Variables that define how your application connects to a database:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@hostname:port/database
DB_HOST=hostname
DB_USER=username
DB_PASSWORD=password
DB_NAME=database

API Keys and Authentication

Variables for third-party service integration:

API_KEY=your_api_key_here
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret_key
STRIPE_API_KEY=sk_test_abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Application Settings

Variables that control application behavior:

DEBUG=true
LOG_LEVEL=info
CACHE_TTL=3600
FEATURE_X_ENABLED=true

Email Configuration

Variables for email service configuration:

SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=user@example.com
SMTP_PASSWORD=password

Application-Specific Variables

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

WordPress

Common WordPress configuration variables:

WORDPRESS_DB_HOST=mysql_host
WORDPRESS_DB_USER=db_user
WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD=db_password
WORDPRESS_DB_NAME=wordpress
WORDPRESS_TABLE_PREFIX=wp_

Node.js Applications

Common Node.js application variables:

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3000
SESSION_SECRET=your_session_secret
CORS_ORIGIN=https://example.com

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL configuration variables:

POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password
POSTGRES_DB=mydb
PGDATA=/var/lib/postgresql/data

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.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices when working with environment variables:

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

Troubleshooting

Application Not Recognizing Variables

If your application doesn’t recognize environment variables:

Verify the variable name is correct (including case)
Ensure the application has restarted after changes
Check application logs for environment-related errors
Verify the application is designed to use the variables you’re setting

Syntax Errors

Some common syntax issues:

Avoid spaces around the equals sign (use KEY=value, not KEY = value)
Be careful with quotes (some values may need to be quoted)
Watch for special characters that might need escaping

Changes Not Taking Effect

If changes don’t seem to apply:

Wait for the restart to finish—saving environment variables restarts your app, which takes 3-7 minutes
Check if the application caches configuration and needs a specific refresh
Verify you clicked “Save Changes” and confirmed in the dashboard
As a last resort, use “Rebuild / Update” to recreate the instance with the current configuration

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

​Using Environment Variables

​What Are Environment Variables?

​Managing Environment Variables on RepoCloud

​Accessing Environment Variables

​Adding Environment Variables

​Editing and Deleting Variables

​Sensitive Information and Security

​Common Environment Variables

​Application-Specific Variables

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Scaling

Updates

Troubleshooting

Using Environment Variables

What Are Environment Variables?

Managing Environment Variables on RepoCloud

Accessing Environment Variables

Adding Environment Variables

Editing and Deleting Variables

Sensitive Information and Security

Common Environment Variables

Application-Specific Variables

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Next Steps