import { InlineIcon, getOsShortcut, Kbd } from "docs-ui" import { EllipsisHorizontal } from "@medusajs/icons"

export const metadata = { title: Manage Environment Variables, }

{metadata.title}

In this guide, you'll learn how to manage environment variables of long-lived and preview environments in Cloud.

Environment variables are key-value pairs of sensitive information, such as API keys and credentials. Instead of hardcoding these variables in your codebase, you should store them as environment variables.

You can manage an environment's variables in its "Settings" tab. You can manage environment variables for the environment's Medusa backend and storefront (if applicable).

Restricted Environment Variable Names

The following environment variable names are reserved by Cloud and you can't use them in your environment:

• NODE_ENV
• EXECUTION_CONTEXT
• DATABASE_URL
• REDIS_URL
• MEDUSA_WORKER_MODE
• PORT
• K_SERVICE
• K_CONFIGURATION
• K_REVISION
• K_CONTAINER_NAME
• K_INTERNAL_POD_NAME
• K_INTERNAL_POD_NAMESPACE
• K_LOCAL_ADDR
• K_PROTOCOL
• SESSION_STORE
• DYNAMO_DB_SESSIONS_TABLE
• DYNAMO_DB_SESSIONS_HASH_KEY
• DYNAMO_DB_SESSIONS_PREFIX
• AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
• AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
• AWS_REGION
• MEDUSA_CLOUD_API_KEY
• MEDUSA_CLOUD_ENVIRONMENT_HANDLE
• MEDUSA_CLOUD_EMAILS_ENDPOINT

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Add Environment Variables on Cloud

To add environment variables to an environment:

<Note title="Tip">

You can also navigate to an environment's variables from the command palette. Press <Kbd>{getOsShortcut()}</Kbd> + <Kbd>K</Kbd>, select Edit Variables, then choose a project.

</Note>

1. In the environment's dashboard, click on the "Settings" tab.
2. Choose the "Environment Variables" tab from the sidebar.
3. If you deployed both the Medusa backend and storefront in the environment, use the toggle at the top to switch between managing the backend and storefront environment variables.
4. In the "Add new environment variables" section, you can add environment variables either for the backend or storefront. There are different ways you can add environment variables:
   • Manually:
     • Enter the key and value of the environment variable in the respective fields.
     • Click the "Add another" button to add another variable.
   • Paste .env format:
     • If you copied environment variables in a .env file format, you can paste them directly into the "Key" field. The environment variables will be pre-filled for you.
   • Import .env file:
     • If you have a .env file that defines your environment variables, click the "Import .env" button to upload the file. The environment variables will be automatically extracted and added to the list.
5. Once you're done, click the "Save" button to save the environment variables.

<Note title="Important">

After adding the environment variables, you must redeploy the environment for the changes to take effect.

</Note>

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Edit Environment Variables on Cloud

To edit an environment variable:

<Note title="Tip">

You can also navigate to an environment's variables from the command palette. Press <Kbd>{getOsShortcut()}</Kbd> + <Kbd>K</Kbd>, select Edit Variables, then choose a project.

</Note>

1. In the environment's dashboard, click on the "Settings" tab.
2. Choose the "Environment Variables" tab from the sidebar.
3. If you deployed both the Medusa backend and storefront in the environment, use the toggle at the top to switch between managing the backend and storefront environment variables.
4. In the "Environment variables" section, find the variable you want to edit.
5. Click the <InlineIcon Icon={EllipsisHorizontal} alt="three-dots" /> icon at the variable's right side.
6. Choose "Edit" from the dropdown menu.

7. In the side window that opens, you can edit the variable's key, value, and whether it's sensitive.
8. Once you're done, click the "Save" button.

<Note title="Important">

After editing the environment variable, you must redeploy the environment for the changes to take effect.

</Note>

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Delete Environment Variables on Cloud

To delete an environment variable:

<Note title="Tip">

You can also navigate to an environment's variables from the command palette. Press <Kbd>{getOsShortcut()}</Kbd> + <Kbd>K</Kbd>, select Edit Variables, then choose a project.

</Note>

1. In the environment's dashboard, click on the "Settings" tab.
2. Choose the "Environment Variables" tab from the sidebar.
3. If you deployed both the Medusa backend and storefront in the environment, use the toggle at the top to switch between managing the backend and storefront environment variables.
4. In the "Environment variables" section, find the variable you want to delete.
5. Click the <InlineIcon Icon={EllipsisHorizontal} alt="three-dots" /> icon at the variable's right side.
6. Choose "Delete" from the dropdown menu.

<Note title="Important">

After deleting the environment variable, you must redeploy the environment for the changes to take effect.

</Note>

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Export Environment Variables on Cloud

You can export an environment's variables as a .env file. This is useful for debugging issues that require you to have the same environment variables.

To export an environment's variables:

<Note title="Tip">

You can also navigate to an environment's variables from the command palette. Press <Kbd>{getOsShortcut()}</Kbd> + <Kbd>K</Kbd>, select Edit Variables, then choose a project.

</Note>

1. In the environment's dashboard, click on the "Settings" tab.
2. Choose the "Environment Variables" tab from the sidebar.
3. If you deployed both the Medusa backend and storefront in the environment, use the toggle at the top to switch between managing the backend and storefront environment variables.
4. In the "Environment variables" section, click on the "Export .env" button at the top right of the section.

A file download will start with the name env.txt, which contains the environment variables in .env format.

You can rename the file to .env and use it in your local development.