Bolt deployment

Environment Variables Not Loading - Undefined in Build

Environment variables are undefined in your deployed application even though they're set in the platform. API keys, database URLs, and other config values come back as undefined.

Variables work fine locally but disappear after deployment.

Error Messages You Might See

process.env.API_KEY is undefined Fetch failed - API_URL is null TypeError: Cannot read property 'split' of undefined
process.env.API_KEY is undefinedFetch failed - API_URL is nullTypeError: Cannot read property 'split' of undefined

Common Causes

  1. Using process.env.VAR instead of NEXT_PUBLIC_VAR for client-side access
  2. Environment variables set after build completes
  3. Wrong environment selected in deployment platform (staging vs production)
  4. Variable name mismatch between code and platform settings
  5. Quotes or special characters in env var value causing parsing issues

How to Fix It

For client-side vars: prefix with NEXT_PUBLIC_ (e.g., NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL)

For server-side only: use plain process.env.PRIVATE_VAR (won't leak to browser)

Set env vars BEFORE triggering redeploy in your platform

Test locally: create .env.local with same vars and run npm run build

Real developers can help you.

ISHANTDEEP SINGH ISHANTDEEP SINGH Senior Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience in React, JavaScript, TypeScript, Next.js, and Node.js. I’ve also worked as a tech lead for startups, owning end-to-end technical execution including architecture, development, scaling, and delivery. I bring a strong mix of hands-on coding, product thinking, and technical leadership, and I’m comfortable building products from scratch as well as improving and scaling existing systems. Victor Denisov Victor Denisov Developer Taufan Taufan I’m a product-focused engineer and tech leader who builds scalable systems and turns ideas into production-ready platforms. Over the past years, I’ve worked across startups and fast-moving teams, leading backend architecture, improving system reliability, and shipping products used by thousands of users. My strength is not just writing code — but connecting product vision, technical execution, and business impact. Yovel Cohen Yovel Cohen I got a lot of experience in building Long-horizon AI Agents in production, Backend apps that scale to millions of users and frontend knowledge as well. hanson1014 hanson1014 Full-stack developer experienced in fixing and deploying AI-generated apps from Lovable, Bolt.new, Cursor, and Replit. I specialize in debugging Supabase integration issues (auth flows, RLS policies, database connections), fixing broken deployments, resolving routing/blank screen problems, and cleaning up messy React/Vite codebases. I also build production apps with the Claude API and have shipped a Mac desktop dev tool (Nexterm from scratch. Based in Hong Kong, fast turnaround. Rudra Bhikadiya Rudra Bhikadiya I build and fix web apps across Next.js, Node.js, and DBs. Comfortable jumping into messy code, broken APIs, and mysterious bugs. If your project works in theory but not in reality, I help close that gap. Tejas Chokhawala Tejas Chokhawala Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript. Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast. Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools. Anthony Akpan Anthony Akpan Developer with 8 years of experience building softwares fro startups Sage Fulcher Sage Fulcher Hey I'm Sage! Im a Boston area software engineer who grew up in South Florida. Ive worked at a ton of cool places like a telehealth kidney care startup that took part in a billion dollar merger (Cricket health/Interwell health), a boutique design agency where I got to work on a ton of exciting startups including a photography education app, a collegiate Esports league and more (Philosophie), a data analytics as a service startup in Cambridge (MA) as well as at Phillips and MIT Lincoln Lab where I designed and developed novel network security visualizations and analytics. I've been writing code and furiously devoted to using computers to make people’s lives easier for about 17 years. My degree is in making computers make pretty lights and sounds. Outside of work I love hip hop, the Celtics, professional wrestling, magic the gathering, photography, drumming, and guitars (both making and playing them) Omar Faruk Omar Faruk As a Product Engineer at Klasio, I contributed to end-to-end product development, focusing on scalability, performance, and user experience. My work spanned building and refining core features, developing dynamic website templates, integrating secure and reliable payment gateways, and optimizing the overall system architecture. I played a key role in creating a scalable and maintainable platform to support educators and learners globally. I'm enthusiastic about embracing new challenges and making meaningful contributions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between .env and .env.local?

.env is version controlled, .env.local is git-ignored. Use .env.local for secrets locally

How do I set env vars in Vercel?

Settings > Environment Variables. Make sure you set them before deploying

Should secrets use NEXT_PUBLIC_?

NO! Use NEXT_PUBLIC_ only for public values. Secrets stay as plain process.env.VAR and are only available on server

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