DevOps
devops
configuration
security
What is Environment Variable?
Definition
An environment variable is a key-value pair set in the operating system or process environment. Applications read them to get configuration values like database URLs, API keys, and feature flags without hardcoding them in source code.
Why It Matters
Environment variables separate configuration from code, following the 12-Factor App methodology. They prevent secrets from being committed to version control, enable different configurations per deployment environment (dev/staging/prod), and are supported by all hosting platforms.