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.

Richard McSorley Richard McSorley Full-Stack Software Engineer with 8+ years building high-performance applications for enterprise clients. Shipped production systems at Walmart (4,000+ stores), Cigna (20M+ users), and Arkansas Blue Cross. 5 patents in retail/supply chain tech. Currently focused on AI integrations, automation tools, and TypeScript-first architectures. Franck Plazanet Franck Plazanet I am a Strategic Engineering Leader with over 8 years of experience building high-availability enterprise systems and scaling high-performing technical teams. My focus is on bridging the gap between complex technology and business growth. Core Expertise: 🚀 Leadership: Managing and coaching teams of 15+ engineers, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 🏗️ Architecture: Enterprise Core Systems, Multi-system Integration (ERP/API/ETL), and Core Database Structure. ☁️ Cloud & Scale: AWS Expert; architected systems handling 10B+ monthly requests and managing 100k+ SKUs. 📈 Business Impact: Aligning tech strategy with P&L goals to drive $70k+ in monthly recurring revenue. I thrive on "out-of-the-box" thinking to solve complex technical bottlenecks and am always looking for ways to use automation to improve business productivity. Milan Surelia Milan Surelia Milan Surelia is a Mobile App Developer with 5+ years of experience crafting scalable, cross-platform apps at 7Span and Meticha. At 7Span, he engineers feature-rich Flutter apps with smooth performance and modern UI. As the Co-Founder of Meticha, he builds open-source tools and developer-focused products that solve real-world problems. Expertise: 💡 Developing cross-platform apps using Flutter, Dart, and Jetpack Compose for Android, iOS, and Web. 🖋️ Sharing insights through technical writing, blogging, and open-source contributions. 🤝 Collaborating closely with designers, PMs, and developers to build seamless mobile experiences. Notable Achievements: 🎯 Revamped the Vepaar app into Vepaar Store & CRM with a 2x performance boost and smoother UX. 🚀 Launched Compose101 — a Jetpack Compose starter kit to speed up Android development. 🌟 Open source contributions on Github & StackOverflow for Flutter & Dart 🎖️ Worked on improving app performance and user experience with smart solutions. Milan is always happy to connect, work on new ideas, and explore the latest in technology. Matthew Jordan Matthew Jordan I've been working at a large software company named Kainos for 2 years, and mainly specialise in Platform Engineering. I regularly enjoy working on software products outside of work, and I'm a huge fan of game development using Unity. I personally enjoy Python & C# in my spare time, but I also specialise in multiple different platform-related technologies from my day job. David Olverson David Olverson Solo dev shipping production apps with AI-assisted development. I specialize in rescuing broken Lovable/Bolt/Cursor builds and taking them to production. 10+ apps shipped including SaaS CRMs, gaming platforms, real estate tools, and Discord bots. Stack: Next.js 16, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Prisma. I use Claude Code with 50+ custom skills for rapid delivery. Average turnaround: 2-4 weeks from broken prototype to production. Pratik Pratik SWE with 15+ years of experience building and maintaining web apps and extensive BE infrastructure Meïr Ankri Meïr Ankri Full-stack developer specializing in React / Next.js / Node.js with 6+ years of experience. I've worked across various sectors including automotive (Reezocar/Société Générale), healthcare (Medical Link SaaS), and e-commerce (Glasman). I build web apps end-to-end, from architecture to production, with a focus on scalability, performance, and code quality. I also mentor junior developers and contribute to technical decisions and code reviews. legrab legrab I'll fill this later prajwalfullstack prajwalfullstack Hi Im a full stack developer, a vibe coded MVP to Market ready product, I'm here to help Kingsley Omage Kingsley Omage Fullstack software engineer passionate about AI Agents, blockchain, LLMs.

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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

Related Bolt Issues

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