Global Environment Variables

Global environment variables are instance-wide settings that are automatically injected into all your deployed applications. This is useful for shared credentials like S3-compatible storage, email services, or API keys.

Why Global Variables?

Instead of setting the same R2/S3 credentials on every project:

# Without global variables - repetitive
slipway env:set app1 R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123...
slipway env:set app1 R2_SECRET_KEY=xyz789...
slipway env:set app2 R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123...
slipway env:set app2 R2_SECRET_KEY=xyz789...
# ... for every app

Set them once globally:

# With global variables - set once, use everywhere
slipway config:set R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123...
slipway config:set R2_SECRET_KEY=xyz789...

Setting Global Variables

Via Dashboard

1. Go to Settings
2. Click Global Environment
3. Add variables
4. Click Save

Via CLI

# Set a global variable
slipway config:set VAR_NAME=value

# Set multiple at once
slipway config:set \
  R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123 \
  R2_SECRET_KEY=xyz789 \
  R2_BUCKET=my-uploads \
  R2_ENDPOINT=https://xxx.r2.cloudflarestorage.com

Common Global Variables

S3-Compatible Storage (R2, Spaces, S3)

For file uploads and backups:

# Cloudflare R2
slipway config:set \
  R2_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key \
  R2_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key \
  R2_BUCKET=your-bucket \
  R2_ENDPOINT=https://account-id.r2.cloudflarestorage.com

# DigitalOcean Spaces
slipway config:set \
  SPACES_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key \
  SPACES_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key \
  SPACES_BUCKET=your-bucket \
  SPACES_ENDPOINT=https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com

# Amazon S3
slipway config:set \
  S3_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key \
  S3_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key \
  S3_BUCKET=your-bucket \
  S3_REGION=us-east-1

Email Services

# Mailgun
slipway config:set \
  MAILGUN_API_KEY=key-xxx \
  MAILGUN_DOMAIN=mail.example.com

# SendGrid
slipway config:set \
  SENDGRID_API_KEY=SG.xxx

# Resend
slipway config:set \
  RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxx

Monitoring & Error Tracking

# Sentry
slipway config:set \
  SENTRY_DSN=https://[email protected]/123

Viewing Global Variables

Via CLI

slipway config:list

Output:

Global Environment Variables

NAME              VALUE                    SET
R2_ACCESS_KEY     abc1...                  2 days ago
R2_SECRET_KEY     ********                 2 days ago
R2_BUCKET         my-uploads               2 days ago
R2_ENDPOINT       https://xxx.r2...        2 days ago
SENTRY_DSN        https://xxx@se...        1 week ago

Via Dashboard

Go to Settings → Global Environment to see all variables.

Variable Inheritance

Global variables are inherited by all environments and apps, but can be overridden at each level:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Global Variables (instance-wide)                        │
│  R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123                                   │
│  R2_BUCKET=default-bucket                               │
│  LOG_LEVEL=info                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                           ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Environment: production                                 │
│  Inherited: R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123                        │
│  Override:  R2_BUCKET=my-app-bucket  ← env-specific     │
│  Override:  LOG_LEVEL=debug          ← env-specific     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                           ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  App: worker (multi-app only)                            │
│  Inherited: R2_ACCESS_KEY=abc123 (from global)          │
│  Inherited: R2_BUCKET=my-app-bucket (from environment)  │
│  Override:  LOG_LEVEL=warn           ← app-specific     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Override Priority

1. App-specific variables (highest priority, multi-app only)
2. Environment variables
3. Global environment variables
4. Slipway defaults (PORT, NODE_ENV, etc.)

For single-app environments, the app level doesn't apply — environment variables are the highest priority override.

Removing Global Variables

# Remove a global variable
slipway config:unset R2_ACCESS_KEY

# Remove multiple
slipway config:unset R2_ACCESS_KEY R2_SECRET_KEY R2_BUCKET

Using in Your Sails App

Global variables are available like any environment variable:

// config/uploads.js
module.exports.uploads = {
  adapter: require('skipper-s3'),
  key: process.env.R2_ACCESS_KEY,
  secret: process.env.R2_SECRET_KEY,
  bucket: process.env.R2_BUCKET,
  endpoint: process.env.R2_ENDPOINT
}

// config/email.js
module.exports.email = {
  adapter: 'sails-hook-mail',
  apiKey: process.env.SENDGRID_API_KEY
}

Security

Sensitive Values

Global variables are encrypted at rest. However, they are decrypted and injected into containers at runtime. Ensure your Slipway server is properly secured.

Who Can See Global Variables?

Role	Can View	Can Edit
Owner	Yes	Yes
Admin	Yes	Yes
Developer	Masked	No
Viewer	No	No

Database Backups to S3

When global S3 variables are configured, database backups can be sent to S3-compatible storage:

# Enable S3 backups (uses global R2/S3 variables)
slipway db:backup mydb --to-s3

# Or configure automatic backups
slipway db:update mydb --backup-to-s3=true --backup-schedule="0 3 * * *"

See Database Services for more details.

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Names

# Good - clear purpose
slipway config:set UPLOADS_S3_BUCKET=my-uploads
slipway config:set BACKUPS_S3_BUCKET=my-backups

# Avoid - ambiguous
slipway config:set BUCKET=something

2. Separate by Concern

Consider using different buckets/credentials for different purposes:

• UPLOADS_* - User-uploaded files
• BACKUPS_* - Database backups
• ASSETS_* - Static assets

3. Rotate Credentials

Periodically rotate your API keys:

# Update global variable (takes effect on next deploy)
slipway config:set R2_ACCESS_KEY=new-key

# Redeploy apps to pick up new credentials
slipway deploy app1
slipway deploy app2

What's Next?

• Learn about File Uploads with S3-compatible storage
• Configure Database Services with S3 backups
• Set up Environment Variables for project-specific config