Environments

Zeroplat provides a flexible Environment Management system, similar to Retool, allowing you to configure and switch between different runtime environments (such as Development, Staging, and Production) without changing your application code.

This ensures that your applications remain portable, secure, and easy to maintain across multiple deployment scenarios.

1. What is an Environment?

An Environment in Zeroplat represents a set of configuration variables and resources that define how your application runs in a specific context.

For example:

• Development Environment → Local database, test API keys
• Test Environment → Pre-production database, sandbox API keys
• Production Environment → Live database, real API keys

Each environment can have its own database connections, API credentials, authentication tokens, and custom variables.

2. Default Environments

By default, Zeroplat comes with the following environments:

1. Development
   • Used for local development and testing.
   • Connects to local or sandbox resources.
   • Typically non-secure and resettable.
2. Test
   • Used for pre-production testing.
   • Mirrors the production setup as closely as possible.
   • Safe place to test new features before going live.
3. Production
   • Used for live, end-user facing applications.
   • Connects to real services and production databases.
   • Requires strict security and access control.

⚠️ Important: Never use production API keys or credentials in your development environment.

You can manage these variables through the Zeroplat Environment Settings UI.

4. Managing Environments

Adding a New Environment

1. Navigate to Settings → Environments.
2. Click Add Environment.
3. Provide a name (e.g., “QA” or “Sandbox”).
4. Define environment-specific variables.
5. Save and apply.

Switching Between Environments

• In the Zeroplat interface, you can select the active environment using the Environment Dropdown.
• When an environment is switched, all connected applications automatically update to use the selected environment’s variables.

5. Use Cases

• Development: Test new features without affecting real users.
• Test: Run user acceptance testing (UAT) in a production-like setup.
• Production: Deliver stable and secure apps to end-users.
• Custom: Create additional environments like “QA”, “Sandbox”, or “Demo” for special use cases.

6. Best Practices

• Always mirror your production setup in staging to catch environment-specific issues.
• Use different API keys for each environment.
• Limit access to production environments only to trusted team members.
• Regularly review and clean up unused environments.

✅ By using Environments, you ensure that your Zeroplat applications are scalable, secure, and easily portable across different deployment stages.

How to Use Environments in Zeroplat

This guide explains how to configure, manage, and apply Environments in Zeroplat for your applications. By following these steps, you will learn how to securely separate your Development, Staging, and Production setups.

1. Accessing Environment Settings

1. Log in to your Zeroplat Admin Panel.
2. Navigate to Settings → Environments in the left sidebar.
3. You will see a list of existing environments (Development, Staging, Production).

📌 Tip: Each Zeroplat workspace can have multiple environments.

2. Creating a New Environment

1. Click Add Environment.
2. Enter a Name (e.g., QA, Demo, or Sandbox).
3. Optionally, provide a Description to help your team understand its purpose.
4. Add Variables for this environment (see below).
5. Save the environment.

📌 Best practice: Use clear and consistent naming for your variables across environments.

4. Switching Between Environments

1. In the top navigation bar, locate the Environment Selector Dropdown.
2. Choose the desired environment (Development, Staging, Production, etc.).
3. All your applications will automatically start using the variables and connections defined in that environment.

✅ This allows you to test apps in staging before deploying them to production.

5. Example: Switching API Base URL

Let’s say you have an app that calls an API. Instead of hardcoding the API URL in your app, you store it in an environment variable:

• In Development, set: API_BASE_URL = https://dev-api.zeroplat.com
• In Production, set: API_BASE_URL = https://api.zeroplat.com

Now, your app code can simply reference:

const apiUrl = getEnvironmentVariable("API_BASE_URL");
fetch(`${apiUrl}/users`);

const apiUrl = getEnvironmentVariable("API_BASE_URL");
fetch(`${apiUrl}/users`);

When you switch the active environment in Zeroplat, the app will automatically use the correct API URL.

6. Best Practices

• 🔑 Store sensitive data (e.g., API keys, tokens) in environment variables, never in source code.
• 🧪 Always test in Staging before deploying to Production.
• 👥 Restrict access to production environments to authorized team members only.
• ♻️ Regularly audit and update environment variables.

7. Summary

• Environments allow you to separate configuration from code.
• You can create unlimited environments (Dev, Staging, Prod, QA, Demo, etc.).
• Switching between environments is instant and safe.
• Your applications automatically adapt to the selected environment.

👉 With Environments, you can confidently build, test, and deploy applications in Zeroplat without worrying about misconfigured connections or accidental production usage.