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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 “Edit Env Vars” button
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 Edit Env Vars 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 valueExample:
  • 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 Edit Env Vars 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:
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
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
Variables that control application behavior:
DEBUG=true
LOG_LEVEL=info
CACHE_TTL=3600
FEATURE_X_ENABLED=true
Variables for email service configuration:
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=user@example.com
SMTP_PASSWORD=password

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Application-Specific Variables

Each application has its own set of supported environment variables. Here are examples for some popular applications:
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_
Common Node.js application variables:
NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3000
SESSION_SECRET=your_session_secret
CORS_ORIGIN=https://example.com
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.

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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

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
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
If changes don’t seem to apply:
  • Manually restart the application after changing variables
  • Check if the application caches configuration and needs a specific refresh
  • Verify you’ve saved the changes in the dashboard

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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