Variables

Variables reach a service as environment variables when it starts. Each service has its own, each environment has shared variables its services can draw on, and Dekka adds a few of its own. Open a project's Environment tab and choose a service, or Shared, to manage them.

Add a variable

Type a name and value and choose Add. Changes collect in a bar at the bottom of the page until you choose Save, which keeps them for the service's next deploy or restart, or Save and restart, which applies them now. Names use letters, numbers and underscores and can't start with a number.

Values are encrypted at rest. A variable whose name contains SECRET, TOKEN, PASSWORD or KEY is stored as a secret, so its value is hidden in the dashboard and kept out of logs. To see a secret, press and hold it, and each reveal is recorded in your organisation's Activity.

curl -X PUT https://api.dekka.cloud/v1/resources/$SERVICE_ID/env \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DEKKA_API_KEY" \
  --json '{ "vars": [ { "key": "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY", "value": "sk_live_…", "secret": true } ] }'

PUT creates or updates the variables you send and leaves the rest alone. In the API, secret defaults to true.

Seal a secret

Turn on Seal before choosing Add, or send "sealed": true, and the value can never be shown again, even to you. The service still receives it. Sealing is permanent, so to change a sealed value you overwrite it with a new one.

Share a variable between services

Shared variables belong to an environment rather than a service, and a service only receives one when it references it. Choose Shared on the Environment tab to add them, and use one in a service's variable as ${{shared.NAME}}.

SENTRY_DSN=${{shared.SENTRY_DSN}}

Reference another service's variable

A value can include ${{service.KEY}}, where service is the name of another service in the same environment. Dekka fills in the value each time the service deploys or restarts, so it stays current when the other service changes.

API_URL=https://${{api.DEKKA_PUBLIC_DOMAIN}}
API_INTERNAL_URL=http://${{api.DEKKA_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:${{api.PORT}}
DATABASE_URL=${{api.DATABASE_URL}}

Dekka checks every reference when you save and refuses names that don't exist with 422 unknown_reference, listing each bad reference. Referenced values can contain references of their own, up to ten levels deep. If a reference stops resolving later, or two values refer to each other, the next deploy or restart fails and says which reference broke. Renaming a service updates the references that point at it.

Which variables does Dekka set?

Dekka sets these on every service, marked Dekka in the list. You can't edit them, but a variable of your own with the same name takes their place.

• PORT is the service's port, such as 3000, on web services.
• DEKKA_PRIVATE_DOMAIN is the service's private hostname, such as api.production.dekka.internal.
• DEKKA_PUBLIC_DOMAIN is a web service's apps.dekka.cloud address, such as api-x2k4.apps.dekka.cloud, while its public address is on.
• DEKKA_ENVIRONMENT is the environment's name, such as production.

Connecting a service to a database or bucket adds the connection's variables, marked Connection. They are secret and read-only, and disconnecting removes them.

Edit variables as a .env file

Choose Raw .env under Editor to edit every variable as text. Comments, quotes and export are accepted. Secret, sealed and connection values aren't shown in the text and are kept as they are, and new variables added this way aren't secret. Tick Delete variables that aren't in the text to remove anything you've deleted from the text, apart from sealed and connection variables.