Configuration

The config seed, where the configuration is kept, git and ytt

  1. Example
  2. Variables

Change these to decide where the configuration comes from: a config seed, the database, git or ytt templates.

Example

Apply a mounted config seed, check it every five minutes, and keep config.yaml in the database. In docker-compose.yml:

    environment:
      - CONFIG_SEED_PATH=/seed/seed.yaml
      - CONFIG_SEED_RELOAD_SECONDS=300
      - ENABLE_CONFIG_IN_DATABASE=1
      - ALLOW_ENV_EDIT=0              # the environment is declared here, not on the settings pages
    volumes:
      - ./seed:/seed:ro

An invalid seed stops the server from starting. See Config seed for the file format.

Variables

Every variable of this group, with its type, default and description:

Variable Choices/Defaults Comments
CONFIG_SEED_PATH
string
added in version 6.3.0
Default:

Config seed file
a valid file path

Path to a declarative config seed. When set, the yaml file it points to is applied at startup and the admin objects it declares become read-only in the interface, so a whole instance can be rebuilt from git on an empty database. Secrets are referenced as ${ENV_VAR} and resolved from the environment, so the file itself holds none. Unrelated to CONFIG_PATH, which holds the forms configuration. An invalid seed makes the server refuse to start. See the Config seed page in the documentation.
CONFIG_SEED_RELOAD_SECONDS
integer
added in version 6.3.0
Default:
60

Config seed reload interval
0 or a number of seconds

How often the config seed file is checked and re-applied when its content has changed, in seconds. This is what lets a seed edited in git take effect without restarting: on kubernetes a ConfigMap is remounted under the running pod within about a minute and the change is picked up from there. A reload that fails is never fatal, unlike the one at startup: the configuration already in force is kept and the Status page reports it. Set it to 0 to check only at startup, leaving POST /api/v2/config-seed/apply and SIGHUP. Ignored when CONFIG_SEED_PATH is empty.
ALLOW_ENV_EDIT
boolean
added in version 6.3.0
Default:
1

Allow editing these settings
0, 1

Whether the settings pages may write persistent/.env. Set it to 0 in a declarative deployment (kubernetes, docker-compose, ArgoCD): there the file is either ephemeral, so a save is silently lost at the next restart, or durable, so it drifts away from the manifest that is meant to be authoritative. With 0 every variable is shown with its value in force but cannot be changed, and the save endpoint refuses.
ENABLE_CONFIG_IN_DATABASE
number
added in version 6.1.0
Choices:
  • 0 (default)
  • 1

Store the configuration in the database
0, 1

If you use git repositories to store the forms, you can choose to store the master config.yaml in git as well.
Or, you can choose to have the config.yaml in the database instead. Having a clean separation: master config.yaml in database, and the actual forms in git.

This gives the config.yaml in the database the highest priority in the loading order.
GIT_CLONE_COMMAND
string
added in version 6.0.2
Default:
git clone

Git clone command
a valid git clone command

The command used to clone git repositories. Note that branch and repository will be auto added.
GIT_PULL_COMMAND
string
Default:
git pull

Git pull command
a valid git pull command

The command used to pull git repositories. Note that branch and repository will be auto added.
GIT_PUSH_COMMAND
string
Default:
git push

Git push command
a valid git push command

The command used to push git repositories (used by the designer’s sync to git feature). Note that -u origin HEAD will be auto added.
USE_YTT
number
added in version 5.0.2
Choices:
  • 0 (default)
  • 1

Enable the ytt interpreter
0, 1

https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt is a tool for yaml templating. It can be activated by this variable.
YTT_ALLOW_SYMLINK_DESTINATIONS
string
added in version 5.0.8
Default:

ytt allowed symlink destinations
valid paths

Ytt disables templating with symlinks by default. If you want to allow symlink use on specific directories, this variable can be set to the path(s) where the symlinks are allowed (multiple paths separated by Node’s path.delimiter). Note: enabling this may come with some risks, see ytt FAQ for more info.
YTT_DANGEROUS_ALLOW_ALL_SYMLINK_DESTINATIONS
number
added in version 5.0.8
Choices:
  • 0 (default)
  • 1

ytt dangerous allow-all symlink destinations
0, 1

Ytt disables templating with symlinks by default. If you want to allow all symlink use EVERYWHERE, you can set this variable to 1. Note: enabling this comes with some risks (hence the ‘DANGEROUS’ part), see ytt FAQ for more info.
YTT_VARS_PREFIX
string
added in version 5.0.8
Default:

ytt vars prefix
a valid prefix

Environment variable prefix for ytt to get data values from. For example, when set to MY_PREFIX, MY_PREFIX_my_var=value results to the ytt data value my_var=value.
YTT_LIB_DATA_{dynamic}
string
added in version 5.0.8
Default:

ytt lib data
a valid lib data value

This is not a single variable but rather an infinite amount of variables. You can set as many as you want. The dynamic part is the name of the lib data. For example YTT_LIB_DATA_MYLIB=values.yml results in the contents of values.yml to be used by ytt in the mylib library.