# Environment variables

Source: https://layerwise.app/docs/deploy/environment-variables

Give your published app API keys and settings without putting them in your code.



Open **Settings** in the project sidebar, then **Environment variables**. Your published app reads each value from `env`. For example, a secret named `STRIPE_SECRET_KEY` is `env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY` in your app's server code.

Environment variables apply only to your published app. Your local preview doesn't use them.

## Types [#types]

The table lists every environment variable with its type, who last changed it, and when.

* **Variable** holds a plain-text setting, such as a public ID or a feature flag. Everyone on the project can see and copy its value. To copy it as a line for a `.env` file, open the row's actions and select **Copy as .env**.
* **Secret** holds an API key, token, or other sensitive value. Layerwise encrypts it, and after you save it, no one can see its value again, including you.
* **Managed** values are the ones Layerwise sets on every publish, such as your project database and the settings sign-in needs. You can't change them, and their names are reserved.

Search by name or value, or filter the table by type, by who last changed a value, or by when. Select a column header to sort by it.

To save your variables as a `.env` file, open the menu next to **Add variables** and select **Export .env**. Secrets are listed without their values.

![Environment variables page with search and filters, Add variables, the export menu, a row's actions, and Redeploy in a save confirmation marked; editor names are blurred](/docs/screenshots/environment-variables.webp)

*(1) Search, or filter by type, editor, and date. (2) Add variables. (3) Export a `.env` file. (4) Copy a variable as a `.env` line, edit it, or delete it. (5) After you save, redeploy to apply the change to your live site.*

## Add and edit [#add-and-edit]

Select **Add variables** to add one or more at a time. Each row has a name, a value, and a type. To bring in an existing `.env` file, select **Import .env** and choose the file, or paste its contents into any field. Each line becomes its own row. Names that look like credentials, such as `STRIPE_SECRET_KEY`, start as secrets, and you can change the type of any row before you save.

![Add environment variables dialog with four rows from a pasted .env file; a row's type and Import .env are marked](/docs/screenshots/environment-variables-add.webp)

*(1) Choose each row's type. (2) Import a whole `.env` file.*

To change a value or its type, open the row's actions and select **Edit**. A secret's current value stays hidden, so changing a secret, including turning it into a variable, takes a new value.

Names use letters, numbers, and underscores, and can't start with a number. A project can have up to 100 environment variables, and each value can be up to 5 KB.

## Apply your changes [#apply-your-changes]

Saving a change doesn't restart your live site.

* If the project is published, select **Redeploy** in the confirmation that appears after you save. Your live release picks up the new values in a few seconds, without a rebuild.
* If you haven't published yet, your values apply on the first [publish](./publish).

Every publish also uses your latest values. When you [roll back](./release-history#roll-back-production), the release keeps the values it was published with until you publish or redeploy again.