---
title: .env
slug: data-platform/connect-platform/env
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-08-05T20:06:36.468Z
---

Sensitive secrets and tokens should never be checked into your code repository or submitted as part of your app package. In order to protect your secrets, you can use an optional `.env` file that should not be committed into your code repository (add to .gitignore, for example). If your app does not require global sensitive data, you do not have to include this file.

Add your secrets to the `.env` file in the root of your app in the following format:

```text
APP_ENV_GLOBAL_SECRET=12345a83hd8blk34jsao2983hlaksd8
APP_ENV_CLIENT_ID=JEdi2hf8vH
```

:::hint{type="warning"}
**Important**
All app environment variables MUST start with `APP_ENV_`
:::

Then add the same environment variable names to your `app.yml` under environment:

```text
environment:
  - APP_ENV_GLOBAL_SECRET
  - APP_ENV_CLIENT_ID
```

This indicates these environment variables are required for your app to run, so when you upload your app, the Connect Platform for Optimizely Data Platform (ODP) command-line interface (CLI) will ensure you include the values in your `.env` file before uploading the app.

When you upload an app, the Connect Platform for ODP CLI reads the environment variable values and uploads them separately and securely to Connect Platform for ODP. These values are tied to the current app version you are uploading. After publishing your app, if you want to update the values, you need to prepare a new version of your app with an updated `.env` file.

If you want to prepare a new version of your app but do not have access to the correct `.env` values, you can re-use the previous AppVersion's `.env` file with: `ocp app prepare --use-previous-app-env-values ...`

You can access these variables using `process.env.APP_ENV_<name>`.

## Zone Specific .env

In addition to supplying a `.env` file, developers can provide a `.env.\<availablity\>` file (for example, `.env.eu`.) These files are processed in the order of  `.env -> .env.\<availablity\>` for value overriding.

Any application using `all` is not permitted to use an availability-specific `.env` file.