Environment Variables

Velocity uses environment variables for configuration that varies between environments.

Setup

Create your environment file from the example:

cp .env.example .env

Variable Reference

Required

# Your production domain (no trailing slash)
SITE_URL=https://yoursite.com

Caution

The SITE_URL is required for proper sitemap generation and canonical URLs.

Analytics (Optional)

# Google Analytics
PUBLIC_GA_MEASUREMENT_ID=G-XXXXXXXXXX

# Google Tag Manager
PUBLIC_GTM_ID=GTM-XXXXXXX

Form Handling (Optional)

# Custom form endpoint
CONTACT_FORM_ENDPOINT=https://api.yoursite.com/contact

Search Verification (Optional)

# Search engine verification codes
GOOGLE_SITE_VERIFICATION=your-google-code
BING_SITE_VERIFICATION=your-bing-code

Public vs Private Variables

Tip

Variables prefixed with PUBLIC_ are exposed to the browser. Never prefix sensitive values like API keys with PUBLIC_.

Public Variables (Browser-Accessible)

PUBLIC_GA_MEASUREMENT_ID=G-XXXXXXXXXX  # ✅ Safe - just a tracking ID
PUBLIC_API_URL=https://api.example.com  # ✅ Safe - public endpoint

Private Variables (Server-Only)

API_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_xxxxx  # ✅ Safe - server only
DATABASE_URL=postgres://...    # ✅ Safe - server only
PUBLIC_API_KEY=sk_xxxxx        # ❌ DANGER - exposed to browser!

Accessing Variables

In Astro Components

---
// Server-side (both public and private)
const siteUrl = import.meta.env.SITE_URL;
const apiKey = import.meta.env.API_SECRET_KEY;
---

In Client-Side JavaScript

// Only PUBLIC_ prefixed variables work here
const gaId = import.meta.env.PUBLIC_GA_MEASUREMENT_ID;

Environment-Specific Files

For different environments, create:

• .env — Local development (not committed)
• .env.production — Production overrides
• .env.example — Template for team members (committed)

Deployment Platforms

Vercel

Set variables in Project Settings → Environment Variables.

Netlify

Set variables in Site Settings → Build & Deploy → Environment.

Cloudflare Pages

Set variables in Settings → Environment Variables.