Shared variables

Shared variables let you define a value once and reference it from more than one resource. Coolify supports team, project, environment, and server scopes.

Defining a shared variable does not automatically add it to every application, database, or service. Add a reference where the resource needs the value, then redeploy or restart the resource as required for its configuration change.

How shared variables work

A shared variable has a name, a value, and a scope. For example, a team variable named NODE_ENV can be referenced as:

{{team.NODE_ENV}}

Keep team as the literal scope keyword. Do not replace it with the team's name.

When Coolify prepares a resource configuration, it replaces a valid reference with the value stored at that scope. If the reference does not match an available shared variable, it remains unresolved.

Choose a scope

Use the narrowest scope that covers every resource which needs the value.

Scope	Available to	Reference syntax
Team	Resources in the active team	`{{team.VARIABLE_NAME}}`
Project	Resources in one project	`{{project.VARIABLE_NAME}}`
Environment	Resources in one project environment, such as `production` or `staging`	`{{environment.VARIABLE_NAME}}`
Server	Resources deployed to one server	`{{server.VARIABLE_NAME}}`

The scope words team, project, environment, and server are fixed. Replace only VARIABLE_NAME with the shared variable's name.

Server-scoped references use the server that runs the resource. This lets the same resource configuration resolve a server-specific value when deployed to different servers.

Create a shared variable

Open Shared Variables

Select Shared Variables in the Coolify sidebar.

Choose the scope

Select Team wide, Project wide, Environment wide, or Server wide.

For project, environment, or server scope, select the specific item that should own the variable.

Add the variable

Select + Add, then enter:

Name: the variable key, such as NODE_ENV
Value: the value to reuse, such as production
Comment: optional context about what uses the value

Enable Is Multiline? when the value contains line breaks. Select Save.

The new entry appears on the selected scope page.

Reference a shared variable

Open the resource environment variables

Open the application, database, or service that needs the value, then open its Environment Variables page.

Add the resource variable

Create the environment variable the workload should receive. For example:

NODE_ENV={{team.NODE_ENV}}

The left side is the environment variable available to the workload. The right side tells Coolify which shared value to insert.

You can also combine shared references with text:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://{{environment.DB_HOST}}:{{environment.DB_PORT}}/app

Apply and verify the change

Save the resource environment variable, then redeploy or restart the resource when its configuration requires it.

Verify inside the workload or through its behavior that the environment variable contains the expected resolved value. Do not print a secret value into public deployment logs.

Manage variables in Developer view

Select Developer view on a scope page to edit ordinary shared variables as KEY=value lines. Select Save All Environment Variables to apply the complete editor contents.

Lines beginning with # are treated as comments. Developer view can create new variables, update existing ordinary values, and delete variables omitted from the editor.

Developer view saves the complete list

Removing a variable's line and saving deletes that shared variable. Review the entire editor before selecting Save All Environment Variables.

Locked and multiline variables appear as placeholders in Developer view and cannot be changed there. Edit multiline variables in Normal view. To change a locked value, delete the variable and create it again.

Update or delete a shared variable

In Normal view, open the variable entry to change its name, value, comment, or multiline setting, then select Update.

References use the variable name. If you rename a shared variable, update every {{scope.VARIABLE_NAME}} reference that used the previous name.

To permanently remove a variable, select Delete, enter the variable name shown in the confirmation dialog, and select Permanently Delete.

Deleting a shared variable does not remove its references from resource configuration. Search the affected resources and replace or remove those references before their next deployment.

Use shared variables in Docker Compose

Docker Compose resources can reference shared variables in their Compose configuration. The placement depends on whether the value configures Compose interpolation or a container environment variable.

Follow Environment variables in Docker Compose for the supported patterns and examples.

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