Environment Variables

Set secrets and configuration for your apps. Environment variables are injected into your app process at startup.

Setting Environment Variables

Via plitho.yml

apps:
  - name: myapp
    env:
      NODE_ENV: production
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb
      API_KEY: your-secret-key

Via the Dashboard

1. Go to Apps → your app → Environment tab
2. Add or edit variables
3. Click Save

Changes require a restart — click Reload on the app.

How They Work

• Variables are stored securely in the Plitho database
• They persist across deploys and restarts
• Changes take effect after a restart
• The PORT variable is auto-set to your server_port — don't set it manually

Common Variables

Variable	Description	Example
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	postgres://user:pass@host:5432/db
REDIS_URL	Redis/Valkey connection string	redis://:pass@host:6379
PORT	Auto-set by Plitho	3000
NODE_ENV	Node.js environment	production
PYTHONUNBUFFERED	Python output buffering	1
SECRET_KEY	App secret (Django, etc.)	your-secret-key

Note

Don't put secrets in plitho.yml if your repo is public. Use the dashboard to set sensitive variables instead — they're stored separately and not exposed in git history.