List environment variables

Retrieve the environment variables for an environment.

Identify the environment by its project, app, and environment identifiers.
Results are ordered by variable id and paginated; when hasMore is true,
pass the returned cursor to fetch the next page.

recoverable variables are returned with their decrypted plaintext value.
writeonly variables never expose a value: only the key, kind, and
description are returned.

Required Permissions

Your root key must have one of the following permissions:

environment.*.read_environment_variables (for any environment)
environment.<environment_id>.read_environment_variables (for a specific environment)

1 min read

post/v2/environments.listEnvironmentVariables

Request example

package main

import(
	"context"
	"os"
	unkey "github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2"
	"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2/models/components"
	"log"
)

func main() {
    ctx := context.Background()

    s := unkey.New(
        unkey.WithSecurity(os.Getenv("UNKEY_ROOT_KEY")),
    )

    res, err := s.Environments.ListEnvironmentVariables(ctx, components.V2EnvironmentsListEnvironmentVariablesRequestBody{
        Project: "payments",
        App: "payments-api",
        Environment: "production",
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    if res.V2EnvironmentsListEnvironmentVariablesResponseBody != nil {
        // handle response
    }
}

Response

{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_123"
  },
  "data": [
    {
      "key": "DATABASE_URL",
      "kind": "writeonly",
      "value": "postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db",
      "description": "Primary database connection string",
      "createdAt": 1704067200000
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "cursor": "eyJrZXkiOiJrZXlfMTIzNCIsInRzIjoxNjk5Mzc4ODAwfQ==",
    "hasMore": true
  }
}

post/v2/environments.listEnvironmentVariables

Authorization

Authorizationstringheaderrequired#

Unkey uses bearer tokens for authentication. Public integrations use root keys, while the dashboard proxy uses short-lived JWTs.
To authenticate, include the token in the Authorization header of each request:

Authorization: Bearer unkey_123

Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Legacy permissions use tuple strings like api.*.create_key; resource permissions use Unkey Resource Names plus actions, like unkey:v1:ws_123:keyspaces/*#create_key.
Security best practices:

Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code
Use different root keys for different environments
Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures
Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle
Monitor key usage with audit logs.

Body

application/json

projectstringrequired#

Identifies a resource by either its unique ID or its slug.
Accepts a prefixed ID (such as 'proj_' or 'app_') or a slug.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$

appstringrequired#

Identifies a resource by either its unique ID or its slug.
Accepts a prefixed ID (such as 'proj_' or 'app_') or a slug.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$

environmentstringrequired#

Identifies a resource by either its unique ID or its slug.
Accepts a prefixed ID (such as 'proj_' or 'app_') or a slug.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$

limitinteger#

Maximum number of variables to return per request.

Default: 100

Range: 1–100

cursorstring#

Pagination cursor from a previous response to fetch the next page.
Use when hasMore: true in the previous response.

Length: 1–1024

Responses

application/json

Successfully retrieved a page of environment variables.

metaobjectrequired#

Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The requestId is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team.

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance.

dataobject[]required#

Show child attributes

keystringrequired#

The variable name.

kindenum<string>required#

How the value may be read back. writeonly values can never be read back
through the API; recoverable values can be decrypted. Values are encrypted
at rest either way.

Options:recoverablewriteonly

valuestring#

The decrypted plaintext value. Present only for recoverable variables.
Omitted for writeonly variables, which can never be read back.

descriptionstring#

Human-readable description. Omitted if none was provided.

createdAtintegerrequired#

Unix timestamp in milliseconds when the variable was created.

Range: 0–9223372036854776000

paginationobjectrequired#

Pagination metadata for list endpoints. Provides information necessary to traverse through large result sets efficiently using cursor-based pagination.

Show child attributes

cursorstring#

Opaque pagination token for retrieving the next page of results.
Include this exact value in the cursor field of subsequent requests.
Cursors are temporary and may expire after extended periods.

Length: 1–1024

hasMorebooleanrequired#

Indicates whether additional results exist beyond this page.
When true, use the cursor to fetch the next page.
When false, you have reached the end of the result set.

metaobjectrequired#

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

errorobjectrequired#

Base error structure following Problem Details for HTTP APIs (RFC 7807). This provides a standardized way to carry machine-readable details of errors in HTTP response content.

Show child attributes

detailstringrequired#

A human-readable explanation specific to this occurrence of the problem. This provides detailed information about what went wrong and potential remediation steps. The message is intended to be helpful for developers troubleshooting the issue.

statusintegerrequired#

HTTP status code that corresponds to this error. This will match the status code in the HTTP response. Common codes include 400 (Bad Request), 401 (Unauthorized), 403 (Forbidden), 404 (Not Found), 409 (Conflict), and 500 (Internal Server Error).

titlestringrequired#

A short, human-readable summary of the problem type. This remains constant from occurrence to occurrence of the same problem and should be used for programmatic handling.

typestringrequired#

A URI reference that identifies the problem type. This provides a stable identifier for the error that can be used for documentation lookups and programmatic error handling. When followed, this URI should provide human-readable documentation for the problem type.

errorsobject[]required#

List of individual validation errors that occurred in the request. Each error provides specific details about what failed validation, where the error occurred in the request, and suggestions for fixing it. This granular information helps developers quickly identify and resolve multiple issues in a single request without having to make repeated API calls.

Show child attributes

locationstringrequired#

JSON path indicating exactly where in the request the error occurred. This helps pinpoint the problematic field or parameter. Examples include:

'body.name' (field in request body)
'body.items[3].tags' (nested array element)
'path.apiId' (path parameter)
'query.limit' (query parameter)
Use this location to identify exactly which part of your request needs correction.

messagestringrequired#

Detailed error message explaining what validation rule was violated. This provides specific information about why the field or parameter was rejected, such as format errors, invalid values, or constraint violations.

fixstring#

A human-readable suggestion describing how to fix the error. This provides practical guidance on what changes would satisfy the validation requirements. Not all validation errors include fix suggestions, but when present, they offer specific remediation advice.

Get environment List environments