Skip to main content

Doppler Environment Variable Setup

Quick guide for setting up APP_ENV in Doppler

Understanding Naming​

Doppler uses short config names but contains standard environment values:

Doppler ConfigAPP_ENV ValueNODE_ENV Value
devdevelopmentdevelopment
stgstagingproduction
prdproductionproduction

Why different?

  • Config names (dev, stg, prd) are organizational labels for quick access
  • Secret values (development, staging, production) match framework conventions
  • This ensures Next.js and other tools work correctly

Prerequisites​

  1. Doppler CLI installed

    # Check if installed
    doppler --version

    # Install if needed
    brew install dopplerhq/cli/doppler  # macOS
    # or
    curl -Ls https://cli.doppler.com/install.sh | sh  # Linux/WSL

  2. Authenticated

    doppler login

  3. Project setup (optional - script will prompt if not set)

    doppler setup --project tvl-mvp-v0

Run Setup Script​

# From workspace root
./scripts/setup-doppler-env.sh

What it does:

  • ✅ Validates Doppler CLI installation
  • ✅ Checks authentication
  • ✅ Sets APP_ENV in all environments (dev, stg, prd)
  • ✅ Sets NODE_ENV appropriately
  • ✅ Adds NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1
  • ✅ Shows confirmation of all changes

Example output:

============================================
Doppler Environment Setup
============================================

✓ Doppler CLI installed: v3.75.1
✓ Authenticated as: you@example.com
✓ Using project: tvl-mvp-v0

Environment Variable Mapping:
  Doppler Config → APP_ENV Value
  dev → development
  stg → staging
  prd → production

Do you want to set APP_ENV in all environments? (y/n) y

Setting environment variables...

→ Setting secrets in dev
  ✓ APP_ENV=development
  ✓ NODE_ENV=development
  ✓ NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1

→ Setting secrets in stg
  ✓ APP_ENV=staging
  ✓ NODE_ENV=production
  ✓ NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1

→ Setting secrets in prd
  ✓ APP_ENV=production
  ✓ NODE_ENV=production
  ✓ NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1

============================================
✓ Doppler environment setup complete!
============================================

Manual Setup (Alternative)​

If you prefer to set secrets manually:

Development Environment​

doppler secrets set \
  NODE_ENV=development \
  APP_ENV=development \
  NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 \
  --project tvl-mvp-v0 \
  --config dev

Staging Environment​

doppler secrets set \
  NODE_ENV=production \
  APP_ENV=staging \
  NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 \
  --project tvl-mvp-v0 \
  --config stg

Production Environment​

doppler secrets set \
  NODE_ENV=production \
  APP_ENV=production \
  NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 \
  --project tvl-mvp-v0 \
  --config prd

Sync Secrets Locally​

After setting secrets in Doppler:

# Download to .env.local
doppler secrets download --no-file --format env > .env.local

# Or run commands with secrets injected
doppler run -- pnpm dev

Verify Setup​

Check Local Environment​

# Source the .env.local file
set -a; source .env.local; set +a

# Verify variables
echo "NODE_ENV: $NODE_ENV"
echo "APP_ENV: $APP_ENV"
echo "NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED: $NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED"

Expected output:

NODE_ENV: development
APP_ENV: development
NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED: 1

Check Doppler Secrets​

# View all secrets for dev environment
doppler secrets --config dev

# View specific secret
doppler secrets get APP_ENV --config dev

Common Issues​

Issue: "Config not found"​

Solution: Create the config first:

doppler configs create stg --project tvl-mvp-v0

Issue: "Not authenticated"​

Solution: Login again:

doppler login

Issue: "Permission denied on script"​

Solution: Make script executable:

chmod +x scripts/setup-doppler-env.sh

Issue: "APP_ENV not working in Next.js"​

Solution: Rebuild the app to pick up new env vars:

# If using devcontainer
F1 → Dev Containers: Rebuild Container

# Or manually
rm -rf apps/web/.next
pnpm build

Additional Commands​

List All Configs​

doppler configs --project tvl-mvp-v0

View Current Setup​

doppler me
doppler setup --no-interactive

Switch Configs​

# Switch to staging
doppler setup --config stg

# Run command with specific config
doppler run --config prd -- pnpm build

Update Multiple Secrets​

# Set multiple secrets at once
doppler secrets set \
  SECRET_1=value1 \
  SECRET_2=value2 \
  SECRET_3=value3 \
  --config dev

References​

Last Updated: 2025-10-28