> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://django-cloud.gitbook.io/django-cloud-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://django-cloud.gitbook.io/django-cloud-docs/how-it-works/environment-variables.md). # Environment variables Set secrets and configuration in the dashboard, under your deployment's **Settings**. Your `.env` file is never uploaded. ## Adding variables Paste a block of `KEY=value` lines. DjangoCloud checks the whole block first, and if any line is invalid it saves nothing and tells you which, so a typo can't half-apply. You can choose to replace all existing variables with the pasted block instead of adding to them. * You can store up to 200 variables per deployment. * Values are encrypted at rest and can't be read back from the dashboard once saved. ## From the command line ```bash djangocloud env push production.env djangocloud env list ``` `env push` reads a `.env` file and saves the variables on the project, encrypted. It prints names only, never values. * **It adds and overwrites; it does not remove.** Variables you don't send are left alone. Add `--prune` to remove everything you didn't send. It asks first, and it never removes the variables DjangoCloud sets itself, such as `DJANGOCLOUD_HOSTED_DB_*` for a database it created. * **All or nothing.** If a line is invalid, nothing is sent and the error names the line. * **Preview it** with `--dry-run`: it lists which names are new and which would be overwritten, and changes nothing. * **Read from standard input** with `-` instead of a file name. The file is read like a `.env` file: comments, `export KEY=value`, single and double quotes and quoted values that span several lines (a PEM key) all work. `$VAR` is not expanded. `env list` shows the names that are set. Values are never shown, by the CLI or by the API. Both commands act on the linked project, or on `--project `. See [Deploy from CI](/django-cloud-docs/getting-started/ci.md) for keeping the values in your CI secrets instead of a file. ## When changes take effect Environment variables are part of a release. A change applies to the **next** release you deploy, not to the one that's running. After editing variables, deploy again. Because each release keeps the variables it was built with, a [rollback](/django-cloud-docs/how-it-works/releases-and-rollbacks.md) restores the values from that moment. ## Typical settings ``` DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=... DJANGO_ALLOWED_HOSTS=myapp.example.com DATABASE_URL=postgres://... ``` Your settings module has to read these from the environment. The build step runs `collectstatic` with a throwaway secret key, so your settings must import without real secrets present. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://django-cloud.gitbook.io/django-cloud-docs/how-it-works/environment-variables.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.