Configure Environment

Setting up environment variables and secrets management

Properly configuring your environment variables and managing secrets is crucial for a secure Oxy deployment.

1. Create Environment File

   Create a .env file in your workspace to store your environment variables:

   touch .env
   chmod 600 .env  # Restrict permissions to owner only
   

2. Add Required Secrets

   Add your secrets to the .env file:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key
   DATABASE_URL=your-database-connection-string
   # Add other environment variables as needed
   

   Never commit your .env file to version control. Make sure it’s included in your .gitignore file.

3. Advanced: Using AWS SSM Parameter Store

   For cloud deployments, consider using a secure method to manage secrets, such as AWS SSM Parameter Store:

   # Install AWS CLI if not already installed
   sudo apt-get install -y awscli
   
   # Configure AWS credentials
   aws configure
   
   # Example: Fetching environment variables from AWS SSM
   APP_ENV=$(aws ssm get-parameter --name "/your-app/env" --query "Parameter.Value" --output text --region your-region | sed 's/\\n/\n/g')
   echo "${APP_ENV}" > .env
   
   # Example: Fetching API keys or credentials
   API_KEY=$(aws ssm get-parameter --name "/your-app/api_key" --query "Parameter.Value" --output text --region your-region)
   echo "${API_KEY}" > api-key.json
   

   You can automate this process by creating a script to fetch secrets during deployment or server startup.

4. Test Environment Configuration

   Verify that Oxy can access the environment variables:

   # Test if Oxy can read the environment variables
   oxy --version
   
   # Restart the Oxy service to apply changes
   sudo systemctl restart oxy
   
   # Check service status
   sudo systemctl status oxy