---
title: Environment Variables
category: Projects
description: Inject per-environment config and secrets into your containers.
slug: env-vars
---

Environment variables decouple configuration from code. API keys,
database URLs, and feature flags go here instead of the repository.
Values are encrypted at rest with `ENV_ENCRYPTION_KEY` and masked in
the UI until you reveal them.

## Managing variables

Open the project and switch to the **Env Variables** tab:

- **Add** one variable or several at once, each scoped to an environment
  (for example `production`). Keys are conventionally uppercase.
- **Import** a local `.env` file to bulk-load variables.
- **Reveal** a masked value with the eye icon (decrypts on demand), or
  copy it without revealing.
- **Edit** a value inline or **delete** the variable.

Variables are injected when the container starts, so adding, editing, or
deleting one requires a restart. Dequel shows a redeploy banner at the
top of the tab after any change — click **Redeploy** to roll the new
config out.

## Shared variables

Variables needed by several projects (a shared API key, a common feature
flag) live once in the **Shared Env** library and are linked into
projects. A project-level variable with the same key wins over the
shared one. See [Shared Env Vars](/docs/shared-env-vars).

## Next steps

- Read [Shared Env Vars](/docs/shared-env-vars) for cross-project config.
- Read [Deployments](/docs/deployments) for the redeploy flow.