What are environment variables and how do they affect applications?

What are environment variables and how do they affect applications?

Environment variables are dynamic values that can affect the behavior of running processes in an application. They can store configuration settings, such as database connection strings or API keys, which can change the application's behavior based on the environment it runs in.

Can you give me an example of how changing an environment variable might impact an application?

Sure! For instance, if an application uses a database connection string stored in an environment variable, changing that variable to point to a different database can switch the application’s data source without modifying the code.

Are there any security concerns with using environment variables?

Yes, there are security concerns. Sensitive information like API keys or passwords should be stored in environment variables, but they must be protected to prevent unauthorized access. It's important to manage permissions and avoid exposing them in logs.

How can I set environment variables in a cloud environment?

In cloud environments, you can typically set environment variables through the platform's management console or CLI. For example, in AWS, you can set them in the Elastic Beanstalk configuration or Lambda function settings.