Environment Variables

Environment variables allow you to configure your worker’s runtime behavior without modifying code. This guide explains how to manage environment variables for your Hatchet workers.

Overview

Environment variables in Hatchet Compute:

• Are securely stored and encrypted at rest
• Can be modified without rebuilding your container
• Support different values across environments
• Are injected into your worker containers at runtime

Configuring Environment Variables

You can configure environment variables through:

1. The Hatchet UI during service creation/configuration
2. Infrastructure as Code using the Hatchet CLI
3. Service configuration files

Using the UI

1. Navigate to your service’s “Runtime configuration” section
2. Find the “Environment Variables” panel
3. Click “Add row” to create a new variable
4. Enter the key and value:
   • Key: The environment variable name (e.g., DATABASE_URL)
   • Value: The environment variable value (e.g., postgresql://<password>@<host>:<port>/<database>)
5. Click “Save” to apply the changes and trigger a redeployment of your service

Best Practices

1. Security

   • Never commit sensitive values to version control
   • Use Hatchet’s secrets management for sensitive data
   • Rotate sensitive values regularly

2. Naming Conventions

   • Use descriptive, meaningful names
   • Follow a consistent naming pattern
   • Document non-obvious variables

3. Value Management

   • Use appropriate data types
   • Validate values before deployment
   • Keep values consistent across related services

4. Common Variables

   # Examples of commonly used variables
   NODE_ENV=production
   LOG_LEVEL=info
   API_TIMEOUT=30000
   DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db

Accessing Variables in Code

Environment variables are mounted into your worker containers at runtime. You can access them in your code using standard methods for your language.

import os
 
database_url = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL')
api_key = os.getenv('API_KEY')

const databaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY;

import "os"
 
databaseUrl := os.Getenv("DATABASE_URL")
apiKey := os.Getenv("API_KEY")

Troubleshooting

1. Variables Not Available

   • Verify the variable is correctly set in your configuration
   • Check for typos in variable names
   • Ensure the service has been redeployed after changes

2. Incorrect Values

   • Check for proper escaping of special characters
   • Verify the value format is correct
   • Look for conflicting definitions

3. Security Issues

   • Review access permissions to sensitive variables
   • Ensure secrets are properly managed
   • Check for accidental exposure in logs

For additional help, join the Hatchet Community or reach out to us here.