​Default environment variable prefix changed from ​K​E​S​T​R​A_ to ​E​N​V_ for security

Overview

Kestra previously defaulted to autoloading environment variables with the prefix KESTRA_ into flows. This posed a security risk, as Micronaut allows overriding configuration using environment variables and translates non-alphanumeric characters (such as : in kestra:storage:type) into underscores, producing env vars like KESTRA_STORAGE_TYPE. If a sensitive value (e.g., a storage password) was provided via an environment variable starting with KESTRA_, it would be available in all flows, increasing the risk of secret exposure.

0.23 change

• The default prefix for autoloaded environment variables is now ENV_ (instead of KESTRA_).
• Any variable you want to expose in flows must now start with ENV_ by default (unless you configure a custom prefix).
• The KESTRA_CONFIGURATION env var still uses KESTRA_ as the configuration key (unchanged).

How to use

In your Docker Compose or environment configuration, set environment variables using the ENV_ prefix rather than the KESTRA_ prefix:

kestra:
  image: kestra/kestra:latest
  environment:
    ENV_MY_VARIABLE: extra variable value
    ENV_NEW_VARIABLE: new variable value
    KESTRA_CONFIGURATION:
      kestra:
        variables:
          env-vars-prefix: "ENV_" # this is now the default as of v0.23

You can reference these in your flows as {{ envs.my_variable }} and {{ envs.new_variable }}.

To use a custom prefix e.g., PROD_:

kestra:
  image: kestra/kestra:latest
  environment:
    PROD_MY_VARIABLE: extra variable value
    KESTRA_CONFIGURATION:
      kestra:
        variables:
          env-vars-prefix: "PROD_"

Required Action

Review and update any existing environment variables that used the KESTRA_ prefix for flow variables and make sure that you now use ENV_ or your custom prefix. No changes are needed for configuration properties that use KESTRA_CONFIGURATION. For more details, check the Environment Variables Prefix documentation.