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Environment variables let you configure your installations without changing code. They’re perfect for API keys, database URLs, and other configuration that changes between environments.

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Managing variables

1

Open environment

Go to the Environments tab and select your environment
2

Select installation

Find your installation and click the settings button
3

Configure variables

In the Environment Variables section, you can:
  • Add new variables with name and value
  • Remove existing variables
  • Mark variables as sensitive
  • Import variables in bulk from .env format
Use UPPERCASE_WITH_UNDERSCORES format for environment variable names (e.g., DATABASE_URL, API_KEY).

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Platform-injected variables

For web-server and job installations, Ryvn automatically injects: RYVN_RELEASE_VERSION is managed by Ryvn and tracks the Ryvn release version, not config-only changes under the same release. When Temporal autoscaling is configured with a Worker Deployment Name, KEDA’s workerDeploymentBuildId is set from this same value so the scaler targets the version your workers report.

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Importing environment variables

You can import multiple environment variables at once using standard .env file format:
1

Click import

In the Environment Variables section, click the Import button
2

Paste variables

Paste your environment variables in .env format:
3

Review and import

Review the variables and click Import to add them to your installation

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Supported format

The import feature supports standard .env file format:
  • Each line should contain a single variable in KEY=VALUE format
  • Comments (lines starting with #) are ignored
  • Empty lines are ignored
  • Values can be quoted (both single and double quotes are supported)
Imported variables are added to your existing variables. If a variable with the same name already exists, the imported value will replace the existing one.

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Linking outputs

Link environment variables to outputs from other service or blueprint installations instead of hard-coding values. The value resolves at deploy time — when the source installation’s outputs change, downstream installations automatically redeploy with the updated values. You can link outputs when installing a new service or when editing an existing installation’s settings.
1

Open the output dialog

In the Environment Variables section, click Link Output
2

Configure the reference

  • Enter a Variable Name for the environment variable (e.g., DATABASE_URL)
  • Select a Source Installation — the service or blueprint installation that produces the output
  • Enter the Output Key — the name of the output to reference (e.g., connection_string). Use dot notation for nested values (e.g., bucket.name)
3

Save or add another

Click Link to add the variable and close the dialog, or click Link & Add Another to add multiple outputs from the same source without reopening the dialog
For IaC configuration, use valueFromOutput to reference outputs in your installation YAML. This routes secret outputs through the secrets system so they’re never exposed in plaintext.

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Sensitive environment variables

Sensitive environment variables provide an extra layer of security for sensitive values like API keys and passwords.
To mark a variable as sensitive, toggle the lock icon when creating or editing the variable.

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End-to-end encryption

Your sensitive values are encrypted immediately when saved. Only your running installation can decrypt and use these values.

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Zero-knowledge design

The encrypted values are stored only on your installation. Not even Ryvn’s system can decrypt them, and they’re never displayed in the dashboard.

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Value updates

When you update a sensitive value, Ryvn ensures the change is processed reliably and atomically. The new value is securely encrypted and deployed to your installation, while the old value is securely destroyed in the process. This synchronous update process guarantees that your installation always has access to the correct secret values without any risk of race conditions or inconsistencies.

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Variable Groups

Variable groups let installations in the same environment share named collections of configuration and secrets. Link a group in the installation’s Environment Variables section to use its keys without copying values into each installation. Create and edit groups from Variables in the sidebar, or sync them from Infisical and GCP Secret Manager. See Variable Groups for setup, linking, revisions, and external-source sync behavior.