Environment variables

Environment variables let you pass constants and secrets such as API keys, connection strings, and feature flags into your Appwrite Functions and Appwrite Sites at build and runtime. Storing values outside your source keeps secrets out of version control and lets you change configuration without code changes.

Appwrite supports three scopes of environment variables:

• Project variables are shared across every function and site in the project. Use them for values consumed by more than one resource, such as a shared third-party API key, a database URL, or a feature flag.
• Function variables are scoped to a single function. Use them for values only that function needs.
• Site variables are scoped to a single site. Use them for values only that site needs.

When the same key is defined in multiple scopes, the more specific scope wins. Function or site variables override project variables, and Appwrite-injected variables (those prefixed with APPWRITE_) take final precedence and cannot be overridden.

Project variables

Project variables are available to every function and site in your project. They are managed at the project level and merged into each function or site's environment automatically at build and runtime.

This page covers how to manage project variables. To manage variables on a single function or site, see the dedicated pages:

Manage in the Console

You can create and manage project variables from the Appwrite Console. The Console refers to them as Global variables:

1. Navigate to your project.
2. Open Settings and scroll to the Global variables section.
3. Click Create a global variable and enter a key and value.
4. Optionally select the Secret checkbox to prevent any team member from reading the value after creation.
5. Click Create, then redeploy your functions and sites for the change to take effect.

Manage with a Server SDK

You can also manage project variables programmatically using a Server SDK. Each call requires an API key with the project.write scope to create, update, or delete variables, or the project.read scope to list and read them.

Create a variable

List variables

You can paginate, filter, and sort the result. See Queries for the query syntax. The list endpoint accepts queries on the key, value, and secret attributes.

Get a variable

Update a variable

You can change a variable's key, value, or secret flag. Marking a variable as secret is one-way. Once set, the value is no longer readable from the Console or API.

Delete a variable

Secret variables

Mark a variable as Secret to hide its value from the Console and API after creation. Only the function or site runtime can read the value at build and runtime. Team members and external integrations cannot retrieve it after creation.

You can mark a variable as secret either when you create it or by updating an existing variable. Marking a variable as secret cannot be reversed. To replace a secret value, delete the variable and create a new one with the same key.

Override behavior

When the same key is defined in multiple scopes, more specific scopes take precedence:

1. Project variables are merged into the runtime environment first.
2. Function or site variables override matching keys from project scope.
3. Appwrite-injected variables (those prefixed with APPWRITE_) override matching keys from both scopes and cannot be customized.

This lets you set a default at the project level (for example, LOG_LEVEL=info) and override it for a specific function or site that needs different behavior.

Limits