Environment variables

Appwrite Sites can read environment variables at build and runtime. Use them to pass constants and secrets such as API keys, connection strings, and feature flags without hardcoding them in your source.

A site reads from three sources, in this order of precedence:

1. Project variables are shared across every function and site in your project. Set them once and every site inherits them automatically. See project variables for the full reference.
2. Site variables are scoped to a single site. Override a project variable for one site by setting the same key on the site itself.
3. Appwrite-injected variables are set by Appwrite at deployment time (for example, APPWRITE_SITE_PROJECT_ID). These take final precedence and cannot be overridden.

Manage in the Console

1. Navigate to your site in the Appwrite Console.
2. Open the Settings tab > Environment variables section.
3. Click Create 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 the site for the change to take effect.

You can also configure global variables that apply to all your sites from your project's Settings page. See project variables for details.

Manage with a Server SDK

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

Create a variable

import { Client, Sites } from 'node-appwrite';

const client = new Client()
    .setEndpoint('https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1') // Your API Endpoint
    .setProject('<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>') // Your project ID
    .setKey('<YOUR_API_KEY>'); // Your API key

const sites = new Sites(client);

const result = await sites.createVariable({
    siteId: '<SITE_ID>',
    key: '<KEY>',
    value: '<VALUE>',
    secret: false // optional
});

List variables

import { Client, Sites } from 'node-appwrite';

const client = new Client()
    .setEndpoint('https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1') // Your API Endpoint
    .setProject('<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>') // Your project ID
    .setKey('<YOUR_API_KEY>'); // Your API key

const sites = new Sites(client);

const result = await sites.listVariables({
    siteId: '<SITE_ID>'
});

Get a variable

import { Client, Sites } from 'node-appwrite';

const client = new Client()
    .setEndpoint('https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1') // Your API Endpoint
    .setProject('<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>') // Your project ID
    .setKey('<YOUR_API_KEY>'); // Your API key

const sites = new Sites(client);

const result = await sites.getVariable({
    siteId: '<SITE_ID>',
    variableId: '<VARIABLE_ID>'
});

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.

import { Client, Sites } from 'node-appwrite';

const client = new Client()
    .setEndpoint('https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1') // Your API Endpoint
    .setProject('<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>') // Your project ID
    .setKey('<YOUR_API_KEY>'); // Your API key

const sites = new Sites(client);

const result = await sites.updateVariable({
    siteId: '<SITE_ID>',
    variableId: '<VARIABLE_ID>',
    key: '<KEY>',
    value: '<VALUE>', // optional
    secret: false // optional
});

Delete a variable

import { Client, Sites } from 'node-appwrite';

const client = new Client()
    .setEndpoint('https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1') // Your API Endpoint
    .setProject('<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>') // Your project ID
    .setKey('<YOUR_API_KEY>'); // Your API key

const sites = new Sites(client);

const result = await sites.deleteVariable({
    siteId: '<SITE_ID>',
    variableId: '<VARIABLE_ID>'
});

Read variables in your site

Read variables inside your site using your framework's standard environment lookup. For SSR sites, variables are read at runtime; for static sites, variables marked for build are inlined at build time.

For framework-specific guidance such as Next.js, SvelteKit, or Astro, see the framework adapters.

Appwrite-injected variables

Appwrite passes the following environment variables into every site deployment by default. They take precedence over your own variables, so do not set keys with the APPWRITE_ prefix.

VCS metadata variables are populated for Git deployments. For manual and CLI deployments, VCS fields may be empty.

Secret variables

Mark a variable as Secret to hide its value from the Console and API after creation. Only the 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.

Limits