Telnyx

Environment variables allow you to configure your Edge Compute functions without modifying code. They’re ideal for non-sensitive configuration values like API endpoints, feature flags, and performance settings that you want to manage alongside your function code.

Overview

Environment variables in Edge Compute are:

Declared in configuration — Defined in your function’s func.toml
Injected at deployment — Available when your function starts
Function-scoped — Specific to each function
Version controlled — Part of your function’s configuration

Defining Environment Variables

Define environment variables in your func.toml under the [env_vars] section:

[edge_compute]
func_id = "your-function-id"
func_name = "my-function"

[env_vars]
SERVICE_NAME = "data-processor"
VERSION = "1.0.0"
LOG_LEVEL = "info"
DEBUG = "false"
MAX_FILE_SIZE = "10485760"
CACHE_TTL = "3600"
API_BASE_URL = "https://api.example.com"

All values are stored as strings. Parse them to the appropriate type in your code.

Accessing Environment Variables

Python
Go
Quarkus (Java)

import os

class Function:
    def __init__(self):
        # Access environment variables
        self.service_name = os.getenv("SERVICE_NAME", "unknown-service")
        self.api_url = os.environ.get("API_BASE_URL")
        self.debug = os.environ.get("DEBUG", "false").lower() == "true"
        self.cache_ttl = int(os.environ.get("CACHE_TTL", "300"))
        self.max_file_size = int(os.getenv("MAX_FILE_SIZE", "10485760"))

    async def handler(self, request):
        return {
            "service": self.service_name,
            "api_configured": bool(self.api_url),
            "cache_ttl": self.cache_ttl,
            "debug": self.debug
        }

package function

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "net/http"
    "os"
    "strconv"
)

func Handle(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    // Access environment variables
    apiURL := os.Getenv("API_BASE_URL")
    serviceName := os.Getenv("SERVICE_NAME")
    debug, _ := strconv.ParseBool(os.Getenv("DEBUG"))
    cacheTTL, _ := strconv.Atoi(os.Getenv("CACHE_TTL"))

    // Provide defaults for optional values
    if cacheTTL == 0 {
        cacheTTL = 300
    }

    response := map[string]interface{}{
        "service":        serviceName,
        "api_configured": apiURL != "",
        "cache_ttl":      cacheTTL,
        "debug":          debug,
    }

    json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
}

import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Optional;

public class ConfigHandler {

    private final String serviceName;
    private final String apiUrl;
    private final boolean debug;
    private final int cacheTtl;

    public ConfigHandler() {
        this.serviceName = getEnv("SERVICE_NAME", "unknown-service");
        this.apiUrl = System.getenv("API_BASE_URL");
        this.debug = Boolean.parseBoolean(getEnv("DEBUG", "false"));
        this.cacheTtl = Integer.parseInt(getEnv("CACHE_TTL", "300"));
    }

    private String getEnv(String key, String defaultValue) {
        String value = System.getenv(key);
        return value != null ? value : defaultValue;
    }

    public Map<String, Object> getConfig() {
        return Map.of(
            "service", serviceName,
            "api_configured", apiUrl != null,
            "cache_ttl", cacheTtl,
            "debug", debug
        );
    }
}

Environment Variables vs Secrets

Use environment variables for non-sensitive configuration. For sensitive data like API keys and passwords, use Secrets instead.

Feature	Environment Variables	Secrets
Storage	Plain text in `func.toml`	Encrypted in Telnyx infrastructure
Scope	Function-specific	Organization-wide
Version Control	✅ Yes (in git)	❌ No (separate secure storage)
Use Case	Configuration, feature flags	API keys, passwords, tokens

When to Use Each

Environment Variables ✅
Secrets 🔒

Perfect for non-sensitive configuration:

Application settings — LOG_LEVEL, DEBUG_MODE, PORT
Feature flags — ENABLE_CACHING, MAINTENANCE_MODE
Performance tuning — MAX_FILE_SIZE, BATCH_SIZE, TIMEOUT
Public endpoints — API_BASE_URL, CDN_URL, WEBHOOK_URL
Environment identifiers — ENVIRONMENT, VERSION, SERVICE_NAME

Use secrets for sensitive data:

API keys — STRIPE_API_KEY, TWILIO_API_KEY
Database credentials — DATABASE_PASSWORD, REDIS_PASSWORD
Authentication tokens — JWT_SECRET, OAUTH_TOKEN
Encryption keys — ENCRYPTION_KEY, SIGNING_KEY

CLI Management

Manage environment variables by editing your func.toml file directly, then redeploy:

# Edit func.toml to add/update env_vars
vim func.toml

# Deploy function with updated environment variables
telnyx-edge ship

Environment variable changes take effect on the next deployment.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use UPPER_SNAKE_CASE for consistency with standard environment variable conventions:

[env_vars]
# ✅ Good: Descriptive and consistent
SERVICE_NAME = "data-processor"
MAX_FILE_SIZE = "10485760"
DATABASE_TIMEOUT = "30"
ENABLE_CACHING = "true"

# ❌ Avoid: Vague or inconsistent naming
name = "processor"
maxsize = "10485760"

Type Safety

Store all values as strings and parse them in your code:

[env_vars]
MAX_CONNECTIONS = "100"
TIMEOUT_SECONDS = "30"
ENABLE_FEATURE = "true"

Validation and Defaults

Always validate environment variables and provide sensible defaults:

Python
Go
Quarkus (Java)

import os

def get_config():
    return {
        'max_file_size': int(os.getenv('MAX_FILE_SIZE', '10485760')),
        'batch_size': max(1, int(os.getenv('BATCH_SIZE', '100'))),
        'timeout': max(1, int(os.getenv('TIMEOUT', '30'))),
        'debug': os.getenv('DEBUG', 'false').lower() == 'true',
    }

package function

import (
    "os"
    "strconv"
)

type Config struct {
    MaxFileSize int
    BatchSize   int
    Timeout     int
    Debug       bool
}

func getConfig() Config {
    return Config{
        MaxFileSize: getEnvInt("MAX_FILE_SIZE", 10485760),
        BatchSize:   maxInt(1, getEnvInt("BATCH_SIZE", 100)),
        Timeout:     maxInt(1, getEnvInt("TIMEOUT", 30)),
        Debug:       os.Getenv("DEBUG") == "true",
    }
}

func getEnvInt(key string, defaultVal int) int {
    if val, err := strconv.Atoi(os.Getenv(key)); err == nil {
        return val
    }
    return defaultVal
}

func maxInt(a, b int) int {
    if a > b {
        return a
    }
    return b
}

public class Config {
    private final int maxFileSize;
    private final int batchSize;
    private final int timeout;
    private final boolean debug;

    public Config() {
        this.maxFileSize = getEnvInt("MAX_FILE_SIZE", 10485760);
        this.batchSize = Math.max(1, getEnvInt("BATCH_SIZE", 100));
        this.timeout = Math.max(1, getEnvInt("TIMEOUT", 30));
        this.debug = "true".equalsIgnoreCase(System.getenv("DEBUG"));
    }

    private int getEnvInt(String key, int defaultVal) {
        String value = System.getenv(key);
        if (value == null) return defaultVal;
        try {
            return Integer.parseInt(value);
        } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
            return defaultVal;
        }
    }
}

Environment-Specific Values

Use descriptive variable names and document expected values:

[env_vars]
# Environment identification
ENVIRONMENT = "production"  # development, staging, production
LOG_LEVEL = "warn"          # debug, info, warn, error

# Feature flags
DEBUG_MODE = "false"
METRICS_ENABLED = "true"

Common Patterns

Feature Flags

[env_vars]
ENABLE_NEW_PROCESSING = "true"
ENABLE_BULK_OPERATIONS = "false"
ENABLE_ADVANCED_LOGGING = "true"
BETA_FEATURES_ENABLED = "false"

Service Configuration

[env_vars]
SERVICE_NAME = "user-auth-service"
SERVICE_VERSION = "2.1.0"
ENVIRONMENT = "production"

API_BASE_URL = "https://api.telnyx.com"
CDN_BASE_URL = "https://cdn.telnyx.com"

Performance Tuning

[env_vars]
MAX_CONNECTIONS = "100"
CONNECTION_TIMEOUT = "30"
READ_TIMEOUT = "60"

BATCH_SIZE = "50"
MAX_RETRIES = "3"
RETRY_DELAY_MS = "1000"

Debugging

Print environment variables for debugging during development:

Python
Go
Quarkus (Java)

import os

def debug_env_vars():
    """Print all environment variables for debugging"""
    print("=== Environment Variables ===")
    for key in ['SERVICE_NAME', 'API_BASE_URL', 'DEBUG', 'LOG_LEVEL']:
        value = os.getenv(key, '(not set)')
        print(f"{key} = {value}")

func debugEnvVars() {
    keys := []string{"SERVICE_NAME", "API_BASE_URL", "DEBUG", "LOG_LEVEL"}
    fmt.Println("=== Environment Variables ===")
    for _, key := range keys {
        value := os.Getenv(key)
        if value == "" {
            value = "(not set)"
        }
        fmt.Printf("%s = %s\n", key, value)
    }
}

public void debugEnvVars() {
    String[] keys = {"SERVICE_NAME", "API_BASE_URL", "DEBUG", "LOG_LEVEL"};
    System.out.println("=== Environment Variables ===");
    for (String key : keys) {
        String value = System.getenv(key);
        if (value == null) {
            value = "(not set)";
        }
        System.out.println(key + " = " + value);
    }
}

Remove debug logging before deploying to production to avoid exposing configuration details.

Limits

Environment variables are subject to the following constraints:

Variable names must contain only letters, numbers, and underscores
Variable names are case-sensitive
All values are stored and retrieved as strings

For specific size limits on variable names and values, refer to the Edge Compute limits documentation.

Secrets — Secure storage for sensitive configuration
Configuration Overview — Complete configuration guide
Quickstart — Deploy your first function

Overview

Getting Started

Examples

To Develop

To Test

To Deploy

To Monitor

Reference

Environment Variables

Overview

Defining Environment Variables

Accessing Environment Variables

Environment Variables vs Secrets

When to Use Each

CLI Management

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Type Safety

Validation and Defaults

Environment-Specific Values

Common Patterns

Feature Flags

Service Configuration

Performance Tuning

Debugging

Limits

Overview

Getting Started

Examples

To Develop

To Test

To Deploy

To Monitor

Reference

​Overview

​Defining Environment Variables

​Accessing Environment Variables

​Environment Variables vs Secrets

​When to Use Each

​CLI Management

​Best Practices

​Naming Conventions

​Type Safety

​Validation and Defaults

​Environment-Specific Values

​Common Patterns

​Feature Flags

​Service Configuration

​Performance Tuning

​Debugging

​Limits

​Related Resources

Overview

Defining Environment Variables

Accessing Environment Variables

Environment Variables vs Secrets

When to Use Each

CLI Management

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Type Safety

Validation and Defaults

Environment-Specific Values

Common Patterns

Feature Flags

Service Configuration

Performance Tuning

Debugging

Limits

Related Resources