checkId: check.core.env.variables plugin: stellaops.doctor.core severity: warn tags: [quick, environment, configuration]

Environment Variables

Doctor check check.core.env.variables — for operators confirming a Stella Ops service knows which hosting environment it is running in, so it loads the right config and does not leak development settings into production.

What It Checks

Verifies that expected environment variables are configured for the runtime environment. The check looks for two recommended variables:

The check also counts all platform-related environment variables matching these prefixes: STELLA*, ASPNETCORE*, DOTNET*, CONNECTIONSTRINGS*.

Result logic:

• If neither recommended variable is set but other platform variables exist (e.g., STELLAOPS_*, CONNECTIONSTRINGS__*), the check passes with a note that the environment defaults are being used.
• If no platform variables at all are found, the check warns that the service may not be running in a configured deployment.
• If at least one recommended variable is set, the check passes and reports the current environment name and total platform variable count.

Why It Matters

The hosting environment controls which configuration files are loaded (appsettings.Development.json vs. appsettings.Production.json), whether developer exception pages are shown, and how logging is configured. Running in the wrong environment can expose detailed error information in production or apply development-only settings that degrade performance.

Common Causes

• No StellaOps, ASP.NET, or .NET environment variables found in the process
• The service is not running in a configured deployment (e.g., running directly without Docker or systemd)
• Docker compose .env file missing or not loaded
• Environment variables defined in the wrong scope (host-level vs. container-level)

How to Fix

Docker Compose

Add the environment variable to your service in docker-compose.yml:

services:
  platform:
    environment:
      ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT: Production

Or in the .env file:

ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production

Bare Metal / systemd

Set the variable in the systemd unit file:

[Service]
Environment=ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production

Or export it in the shell:

export ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production
sudo systemctl restart stellaops-platform

Kubernetes / Helm

Set in Helm values:

env:
  - name: ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT
    value: "Production"

Or in the pod spec directly:

kubectl set env deployment/stellaops-platform ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production

Verification

stella doctor run --check check.core.env.variables

Related Checks

• check.core.config.loaded — verifies the configuration system is loaded (environment affects which config files load)
• check.core.config.required — verifies specific required settings are present

See the Doctor reference for the full check catalog, CLI usage, and export bundles.