Installation

Getting Started with EnvVault CLI

Welcome to EnvVault! This guide will help you understand the core concepts and get you started with managing your environment variables securely.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

Installed EnvVault CLI (if not, see our installation guide)

A terminal or command prompt open

An EnvVault account and access to a project

Core Concepts

Environment Variables

Environment variables are key-value pairs that store configuration data like API keys, database credentials, and feature flags. EnvVault helps you manage these securely across different environments.

Projects

Projects in EnvVault organize your environment variables. Each project can have multiple environments and team members with different access levels.

Environments

Environments like development, staging, and production keep your configurations separate. Each environment has its own set of variables.

Access Tokens

Tokens authenticate your access to EnvVault. Different token types provide different levels of access, making them suitable for development or CI/CD environments.

Initial Setup

Step 1: Logging In

Start by logging into your EnvVault account:

envv login

This command will:

Open your default browser to the EnvVault login page

Create and store an access token locally after successful authentication

Step 2: Selecting a Project

Select a project to work with:

envv use

This command will:

Show a list of available projects

Create a .envv.json file in your current directory

Step 3: Using Environment Variables

Run your application with the environment variables:

envv run --env=development npm start

This command will:

Load variables from the specified environment

Make them available to your application

Execute your command (npm start in this example)

Common Development Workflows

Local Development

Run your Node.js application:

# Development server
envv run --env=development npm run dev

# With nodemon
envv run --env=development nodemon server.js

# Run tests
envv run --env=test npm test

Working with Multiple Projects

Create a new project:

envv project create -n my-app -d "My application"

Switch between projects (interactive picker):

envv use

Project selection is directory-specific. The selected project + environment is stored in .envv.json in the current directory. Use the dashboard to list, rename, or delete projects.

Sharing with Team Members

Team management lives in the web dashboard. Invite members, assign roles, and revoke access at /dashboard/teams.

For CI/CD pipelines, generate scoped API keys from the dashboard and export them as ENVVAULT_TOKEN:

export ENVVAULT_TOKEN=evk_xxx
envv run -e production npm run deploy

Next Steps

Learn Basic Commands

Explore the full range of CLI commands and their usage.

Project Management

Learn how to organize and manage your projects effectively.

Environment Management

Master working with different environments and configurations.

Team Collaboration

Learn how to work effectively with team members and manage access controls.

Best Practices When Getting Started

Project Organization

When setting up your first projects, consider these organizational principles:

Project Scope

Create separate projects for:

Different applications or services that don't share configuration

Major components of a system that are deployed independently

Different clients or customer environments

Environment Strategy

Structure your environments to support your development workflow:

Start with development, staging, and production environments

Add test environments for automated testing

Consider feature-specific environments for complex features

Remember: The best practices outlined above are starting points. As your project grows, you may need to adapt these practices to meet your specific needs. Always refer to our detailed guides for in-depth information on each topic.

For more advanced topics and detailed guides, check out ourSecurity & Access guide.