Environment variable
A named value supplied by the operating system or process environment, commonly used to configure software without hardcoding deployment-specific settings.
What it is
An environment variable separates configuration from source code: a program reads a name such as `API_KEY` at runtime instead of embedding the value in a tracked file. That separation reduces accidental commits, but it does not make a value harmless—process listings, logs, crash reports, shell history, or an overly broad deployment can still expose it.
How it relates to Orbit
Orbit’s settings and connected services use environment variables for provider configuration and project tooling. See /docs/reference/settings/ for details.
When you would use it
You use environment variables when the same code must run with different credentials or settings across a laptop, test environment, and production deployment.
Common operations
- Injecting a secret into a local development process or deployment without putting it in the repository.
- Checking that `.env` files are ignored and that production variables are scoped to the services that need them.