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Variable Sets

Variable Sets allow you to organize and manage environment variables that can be shared across multiple applications. This simplifies configuration management and ensures consistency.

What are Variable Sets?​

A Variable Set is a collection of key-value pairs (environment variables) that you can attach to one or more applications. Instead of defining the same variables for each application, you create a reusable set.

Benefits​

Reusability​

Define variables once, use in multiple applications:

Database Variable Set → Used by: API, Worker, Admin Panel

Consistency​

Ensure all applications use the same configuration values.

Easy Updates​

Update a variable in one place, affects all applications using that set.

Organization​

Group related variables together logically.

Creating Variable Sets​

Step 1: Navigate to Variable Sets​

  1. Go to Attachments > Variable Sets
  2. Click "Create Variable Set"

Step 2: Name and Description​

Name: database-config
Description: Database connection settings for production

Step 3: Add Variables​

Add key-value pairs:

DATABASE_HOST=postgres.example.com
DATABASE_PORT=5432
DATABASE_NAME=myapp_prod
DATABASE_USER=app_user
DATABASE_SSL=true

Step 4: Save Variable Set​

Click "Create Variable Set" to save.

Using Variable Sets​

Attach to Application​

During application creation or editing:

  1. Navigate to "Environment Variables" section
  2. Click "Attach Variable Set"
  3. Select one or more variable sets
  4. Variables are automatically added to the application

Multiple Variable Sets​

Attach multiple sets to one application:

Application: user-api

Attached Variable Sets:
  - database-config (DATABASE_*)
  - cache-config (REDIS_*)
  - api-keys (API_KEY, SECRET_KEY)

Variable Precedence​

When variables conflict:

  1. Application-specific variables (highest priority)
  2. Last attached variable set
  3. First attached variable set
tip

Place more specific variable sets last to override general ones.

Common Variable Sets​

Database Configuration​

# Variable Set: database-production
DATABASE_HOST=postgres-prod.example.com
DATABASE_PORT=5432
DATABASE_NAME=app_production
DATABASE_USER=app_user
DATABASE_PASSWORD=********
DATABASE_SSL=true
DATABASE_POOL_SIZE=20

API Configuration​

# Variable Set: api-config
API_URL=https://api.example.com
API_VERSION=v1
API_TIMEOUT=30000
API_RETRY_ATTEMPTS=3

Authentication​

# Variable Set: auth-secrets
JWT_SECRET=********
JWT_EXPIRATION=3600
OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=********
OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET=********
SESSION_SECRET=********

Feature Flags​

# Variable Set: feature-flags
FEATURE_NEW_DASHBOARD=true
FEATURE_BETA_API=false
FEATURE_ANALYTICS=true

External Services​

# Variable Set: third-party-services
STRIPE_API_KEY=********
SENDGRID_API_KEY=********
AWS_ACCESS_KEY=********
AWS_SECRET_KEY=********
S3_BUCKET=uploads-production

Managing Variable Sets​

Viewing Variable Sets​

Click on a variable set to see:

  • All variables and values
  • Applications using this set
  • Last modified date
  • Created by

Editing Variable Sets​

  1. Navigate to variable set details
  2. Click "Edit"
  3. Add, modify, or remove variables
  4. Save changes
caution

Changes will restart or rollout all applications using this variable set.

Versioning​

Thevenin tracks variable set versions:

  • View change history
  • See who made changes
  • Restore previous versions
  • Compare versions

Deleting Variable Sets​

  1. Ensure no applications are using the set
  2. Navigate to variable set details
  3. Click "Delete Variable Set"
  4. Confirm deletion

Environment-Specific Sets​

Create different sets for different environments:

database-development:
  DATABASE_HOST=localhost
  DATABASE_NAME=app_dev
  
database-staging:
  DATABASE_HOST=db-staging.example.com
  DATABASE_NAME=app_staging
  
database-production:
  DATABASE_HOST=db-prod.example.com
  DATABASE_NAME=app_production

Best Practices​

Naming Conventions​

Use clear, descriptive names:

  • ✅ database-production
  • ✅ api-keys-staging
  • ✅ feature-flags-global
  • ❌ vars1, config

Variable Naming​

Follow standard conventions:

✅ DATABASE_HOST
✅ API_KEY
✅ FEATURE_FLAG_NAME

❌ databaseHost (use uppercase)
❌ api-key (use underscores)

Secrets Management​

  • Mark sensitive values as secrets
  • Rotate secrets regularly
  • Never commit secrets to version control
  • Use different secrets for each environment
  • Document what each secret is for

Organization​

Group related variables:

database-config: DATABASE_*
cache-config: REDIS_*, MEMCACHED_*
auth-config: JWT_*, OAUTH_*
external-services: STRIPE_*, AWS_*, SENDGRID_*

Documentation​

Document each variable set:

Name: database-production
Description: Production database connection settings
Variables:
  DATABASE_HOST: PostgreSQL server hostname
  DATABASE_PORT: PostgreSQL server port (default 5432)
  DATABASE_NAME: Database name
  DATABASE_USER: Application database user
  DATABASE_PASSWORD: Database user password (secret)

Security Considerations​

Encryption​

Thevenin encrypts variables:

  • Encrypted at rest in database using age keys
  • Masked in user interface
  • Not exposed in logs
  • Secure transmission with TLS

Audit Logging​

Track variable set changes in the variableset history:

  • Who made changes
  • What was changed
  • When changes occurred
  • Previous values

Troubleshooting​

Variables Not Applied​

Problem: Application doesn't see variables

Solutions:

  • Verify variable set is attached to application
  • Redeploy application after attaching
  • Check variable names (case-sensitive)
  • Review variable precedence

Wrong Variable Value​

Problem: Variable has unexpected value

Solutions:

  • Check for conflicting variables in multiple sets
  • Verify variable set order (precedence)
  • Review recent changes to variable sets

Examples​

Complete Application Setup​

Application: user-service-api

Variable Sets:
  1. environment-production
     - ENVIRONMENT=production
     - LOG_LEVEL=info
     - NODE_ENV=production
  
  2. database-production
     - DATABASE_HOST=postgres-prod
     - DATABASE_PORT=5432
     - DATABASE_NAME=users
     - DATABASE_USER=api_user
     - DATABASE_PASSWORD=********
  
  3. auth-secrets
     - JWT_SECRET=********
     - JWT_EXPIRATION=3600
  
  4. feature-flags
     - FEATURE_2FA=true
     - FEATURE_OAUTH=true

Application-Specific Variables:
  - SERVICE_NAME=user-service
  - PORT=3000

Next Steps​