Configure environment variables

Control Hub allows you to view and modify application environment variables for debugging, feature configuration, or temporary adjustments.

Before you begin

Check where the target variable should be configured before making changes.

Metric	System-level variables	App-specific variables
Where to configure	Settings	Control Hub
Scope	Shared across all apps that reference them	Specific to a single app resource
What it covers	Common variables pre-configured by Olares, such as API keys and mail server settings	App-specific parameters not covered by system-level variables
Persist after app upgrades	Yes	No

Check Settings first to see if the variable you need is already available there. If not, configure it directly in Control Hub using the steps below.

Identify where a variable is stored

Variables in an app can be stored in different Kubernetes resource types. Knowing which resource holds your target variable determines how you modify it and whether a restart is needed.

Resource type	Typical content	Restart after editing
Deployment	Direct name/value pairs	Automatic
Configmap	Configuration data, startup parameters, config files	Manual restart required
Secret	Sensitive data such as passwords, tokens, credentials	Manual restart required

Standard apps

To determine where a variable is stored, open the Deployment in the YAML editor and check the spec > containers section. The injection method tells you the source:

• env: The variable is defined directly in the Deployment as a name/value pair.
• envFrom with configMapRef: The variable is stored in the referenced Configmap.
• valueFrom with secretKeyRef: The variable is stored in the referenced Secret.

For example, in the following YAML, envFrom references the Configmap lobechat-config, while env directly defines PGID, PUID, and TZ.

spec:
  containers:
    - name: lobechat
      image: docker.io/beclab/lobehub-lobehub:2.1.18
      ports:
        - name: http
          containerPort: 3210
          protocol: TCP
      envFrom:
        - configMapRef:
            name: lobechat-config
      env:
        - name: PGID
          value: '1000'
        - name: PUID
          value: '1000'
        - name: TZ
          value: Etc/UTC

C/S apps

Some applications use a Client/Server (C/S) architecture, such as Ollama. Their variables are distributed across two namespaces: the User namespace for client-side resources and the System namespace for server-side resources.

For C/S apps, environment variables are typically stored in Configmaps across both namespaces. Navigate to the correct namespace based on what you want to change:

• To modify external access behavior, go to the User namespace and look for Configmaps containing nginx or sidecar in the name.
• To modify core application parameters, go to the System namespace and look for Configmaps containing env, config, or similar identifiers.

Modify variables in a Deployment

Use this method for direct adjustments to a workload. The following example changes the time zone for Jellyfin so the media library displays local timestamps instead of UTC.

1. In Control Hub, select the Jellyfin project from the Browse panel.

2. Under Deployments, click jellyfin, then click edit_square.

   

3. In the YAML editor, find the containers section, locate the env field for jellyfin, and then change the value of TZ:

   env:
     - name: PGID
       value: '1000'
     - name: PUID
       value: '1000'
     - name: UMASK
       value: '002'
     - name: TZ
       value: Asia/Shanghai   # changed from Etc/UTC

4. Click Confirm. The pod restarts automatically to apply the changes.

Modify variables in a Configmap

Use this method to add third-party API keys, modify startup parameters, or update configuration files.

Standard apps

The following example adds a Tavily API key to DeerFlow's configuration to enable web search.

1. In Control Hub, select the DeerFlow project from the Browse panel.

2. Under Configmaps, click deerflow-config.

3. On the resource details page, click edit_square in the top-right to open the YAML editor.

4. Add the following key/value pairs under the data section:

   SEARCH_API: tavily
   TAVILY_API_KEY: tvly-xxx # Your Tavily API Key

   

5. Click Confirm to save the changes.

6. Return to Deployments > deerflow, and then click Restart.

   

7. In the confirmation dialog, type deerflow, and then click Confirm.

Wait for the status icon to turn green, which indicates the new configuration has been loaded.

C/S apps

Depending on what you want to change, you may need to modify variables in the User namespace, the System namespace, or both.

Modify client settings in the User namespace

The following steps change Ollama's proxy read timeout from 300s to 600s.

1. In Control Hub, select the Ollama project from the Browse panel.

2. Under Deployments, click ollamav2, then click edit_square.

3. In the YAML editor, find the containers section, locate and check the env field. The configuration here references nginx.conf.

   

4. Click Cancel to close the editor.

5. Click Configmaps to expand the resource group, click nginx-config, and then click edit_square in the upper-right corner.

   

6. In the YAML editor, find the data section, locate the nginx.conf key, and then modify the proxy_read_timeout value from 300s to 600s.

   

7. Click Confirm.

8. Return to Deployments > ollamav2, and then click Restart to apply the change.

Wait for the status icon to turn green, which indicates the new configuration has been loaded.

Modify server settings in the System namespace

The following steps change Ollama's maximum loaded models from 3 to 5.

1. In Control Hub, scroll down in the Browse panel and click System to expand the system section.

2. Select ollamaserver-shared, and under Deployments, click ollama, and then click edit_square.

   

3. In the YAML editor, find the containers section, and check the envFrom field. The configuration here references ollama-env.

   

4. Click Cancel to close the editor.

5. Return to the resource group Configmaps, click the ollama-env instance, and then click edit_square in the upper-right corner.

   

6. In the YAML editor, find the data section, and then change the value of OLLAMA_MAX_LOADED_MODELS from 3 to 5.

   

7. Click Confirm.

8. Return to Deployments > ollama, and then click Restart to apply the change.

Wait for the status icon to turn green, which indicates the new configuration has been loaded.

Modify variables in a Secret

The workflow for Secrets is the same as for Configmaps. Follow the steps for standard apps or C/S apps, depending on your app type.

INFO

When you open the YAML editor for a Secret, all values under the data field must be Base64 encoded.

FAQ

Changes to a ConfigMap or Secret are not applied

After you modify a ConfigMap or Secret, the associated workload (Deployment) does not automatically reload the configuration. You must restart the workload to pick up the new values.

Use one of the following methods to restart the workload:

• In Control Hub

  Go to Deployments under the app's namespace, click the target workload, and then click Restart.

• Via Market or Settings

  If you are not sure which Deployment to restart, stop and then resume the app:

  • Go to Market > My Olares, click keyboard_arrow_down next to the app's operation button, click Stop, and then click Resume.
  • Go to Settings > Applications, click the app, click Stop, and then click Resume.

Both methods will apply and load the latest configuration from the ConfigMap or Secret.