Overview
A configuration value supplied to an app at runtime.
Definition
A configuration value supplied to an app at runtime.
Real-world example
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@db:5432/app is injected at container start so the app connects to the Postgres add-on without hard-coding credentials.
Common mistake
Committing .env files to Git. Use platform env vars and keep secrets out of version control.
Better-PaaS in practice
Set env vars in the app settings. Secret values are redacted in API responses but available to the container at runtime.
FAQ
Is environment variable only relevant to Better-PaaS?
No. environment variable appears across Docker, cloud platforms, and self-hosted tooling. Better-PaaS exposes the concept in deploy logs, dashboard fields, or docs when it affects your app.