Environments

Reference for the environment configuration UI in Qualflare. Environments define the target systems where tests are executed.

Environment List View

The environment list view displays all configured environments in a project, providing quick access to configuration and status information.

Columns

Column	Description
Environment Name	Name of the environment (user-defined)
Type	Environment type with color-coded badge
Base URL	Base URL for the target system
Status	Active or Inactive indicator
Default	Star icon indicates default environment
Variables	Count of configured variables
Last Used	Timestamp of most recent test execution
Actions	Quick action buttons (edit, set default, delete)

Environment Types

Type	Visual	Purpose
Development	Blue badge	Local development servers
Staging	Yellow badge	Pre-production testing environment
Production	Red badge	Live production environment
Custom	Gray badge	User-defined environment types

Status Indicators

Status	Visual	Meaning
Active	Green dot	Environment is available for test execution
Inactive	Gray dot	Environment is disabled and cannot be used

Default Environment Indicator

• Star Icon: (⭐) displayed next to the default environment name
• Behavior: Default environment is pre-selected when creating new launches
• Selection: Only one environment can be default at a time
• Auto-set: First created environment is automatically set as default

Sorting

• Default: Environment name (alphabetical)
• Available sort options: Name, type, last used, variable count
• Type grouping: Environments group by type when sorted by type

Filtering

Filter	Options
Type	Development, Staging, Production, Custom
Status	Active, Inactive, All
Default	Default only, Non-default only

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Environment Detail View

Click any environment in the list to view its complete configuration and variables.

Header Section

Environment Information

• Environment Name: User-defined name
• Environment ID: Unique identifier (e.g., "ENV-5678")
• Type Badge: Environment type with color coding
• Status Indicator: Active/Inactive with toggle
• Default Badge: Shown if this is the default environment
• Created: Creation timestamp
• Last Modified: Last configuration change timestamp
• Last Used: Most recent test execution timestamp

Quick Actions

Action	Description
Set as Default	Make this environment the default for new launches
Activate/Deactivate	Toggle environment availability
Edit	Open environment configuration editor
Clone	Create a copy of this environment
Delete	Remove the environment (requires confirmation)

Configuration Section

Basic Settings

Field	Description
Name	Environment name (required, unique within project)
Type	Environment type (Development, Staging, Production, Custom)
Base URL	Root URL for the target system (required)
Description	Optional notes about this environment

Base URL Configuration

Format Requirements:

• Must include protocol (http:// or https://)
• Should not include trailing slash
• Supports port numbers (e.g., https://api.example.com:8080)
• Supports subdomains and paths (e.g., https://staging-api.example.com/v2)

Examples:

• Development: http://localhost:3000
• Staging: https://staging.example.com
• Production: https://api.example.com
• Custom: https://ci-build-123.example.org

Variables Section

Environment variables define key-value pairs that are available to tests during execution. Variables support secrets masking and hierarchical overrides.

Variable Management UI

Table Columns:

Column	Description
Key	Variable name (case-sensitive, alphanumeric and underscore)
Value	Variable value (masked for secrets)
Type	Variable type (Plain, Secret, File)
Scope	Variable scope (Global, Environment-specific)
Enabled	Toggle to enable/disable variable
Actions	Edit, delete, copy variable

Variable Types

Type	Visual	Behavior
Plain	No icon	Displayed in plain text, fully visible
Secret	Lock icon	Value masked with bullets (••••••)
File	File icon	Reference to uploaded file, shows filename

Secret Variable Display

Masked State (Default):

• Display: •••••••••••• (bullets equal to value length)
• Hover preview: Shows first and last character only
• Cannot be copied or viewed in detail

Reveal State (Click "Show"):

• Requires confirmation
• Shows plain text value for 30 seconds
• Auto-masks after timeout or when navigating away
• Logs reveal events for audit trail

Edit Secret:

• Click "Edit" to open secret editor
• Value field is password-type (hidden input)
• Show/Hide toggle available in editor
• Changes are saved immediately

Variable Scope and Override Behavior

Hierarchy:

1. Global Variables (workspace-level): Available to all environments
2. Environment Variables (environment-level): Override global variables
3. Launch Variables (launch-level): Override environment variables

Override Rules:

• More specific scopes override less specific scopes
• Environment variables override global variables with the same key
• Launch variables override environment variables
• If no override exists, the global value is used

Example:

Global:    API_URL = https://api.example.com
Staging:   API_URL = https://staging-api.example.com (overrides global)
Production: API_URL = https://api.example.com (uses global, no override)

Override Indicator:

• Variables that override global values show "Overrides global" badge
• Variables using global values show "Inherits from global" badge
• Click badge to view the global value being overridden

Headers Section

Configure custom HTTP headers that are sent with all API requests during test execution.

Headers Management UI

Table Columns:

Column	Description
Header Name	HTTP header name (case-insensitive)
Header Value	Header value (supports variable interpolation)
Enabled	Toggle to enable/disable header

Common Headers

Header	Typical Use
Authorization	API keys, bearer tokens, authentication credentials
Content-Type	Request content type (e.g., application/json)
Accept	Expected response content type
User-Agent	Client identification
X-Custom-Header	Custom application-specific headers

Variable Interpolation in Headers

Headers can reference environment variables using syntax:

Authorization: Bearer {{API_KEY}}
X-Environment: {{ENVIRONMENT_NAME}}
X-Request-Source: qualflare-test

Authentication Section

Configure authentication methods for the target environment.

Authentication Types

None:

• No authentication configured
• Tests run without auth headers

API Key:

• Header Name: Name of the header (e.g., X-API-Key)
• API Key Value: The key value (stored as secret)
• Key Location: Header or Query parameter

Bearer Token:

• Token Value: JWT or OAuth bearer token (stored as secret)
• Token Prefix: Default is Bearer, can be customized
• Header Name: Default is Authorization, can be customized

Basic Auth:

• Username: Authentication username (stored as plain)
• Password: Authentication password (stored as secret)

OAuth 2.0:

• Client ID: OAuth client identifier
• Client Secret: OAuth client secret (stored as secret)
• Token URL: Endpoint to obtain access token
• Scopes: OAuth permission scopes

Authentication Storage

All sensitive credentials (API keys, tokens, passwords) are stored as secret variables and are masked in the UI.

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Create Environment UI

Create a new environment from scratch with all required configuration.

Steps

1. Click New Environment button in the environment list
2. Fill in the basic configuration:
   • Environment Name (required)
   • Type (required)
   • Base URL (required)
   • Description (optional)
3. Configure variables (optional)
4. Configure headers (optional)
5. Configure authentication (optional)
6. Click Create Environment

Field Validations

Field	Validation Rules
Name	Required, unique within project, 3-50 characters, alphanumeric and spaces
Type	Required, must select one type
Base URL	Required, must be valid URL with http:// or https://
Description	Optional, max 500 characters

After Creation

• New environment is created as Active by default
• Not set as default unless it's the first environment
• Redirected to environment detail view
• Can immediately start adding variables and configuration

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Edit Environment UI

Modify an existing environment's configuration.

Editing Modes

Quick Edit

• Accessible via: Edit button in environment list
• Scope: Name, type, base URL, description only
• Action: Inline editing with save/cancel buttons

Full Edit

• Accessible via: Edit button in environment detail view
• Scope: All configuration including variables, headers, authentication
• Action: Opens full configuration editor

Editable Fields

All fields are editable except:

• Environment ID: Cannot be changed (system-assigned)
• Created timestamp: Immutable

Variable Editing

Add Variable:

1. Click Add Variable button
2. Enter key name (required)
3. Enter value (required)
4. Select type (Plain, Secret, File)
5. Click Save

Edit Variable:

1. Click Edit icon on variable row
2. Modify key or value
3. Click Save

Delete Variable:

1. Click Delete icon on variable row
2. Confirm deletion

Bulk Variable Operations:

• Import Variables: Upload CSV or JSON file with variable definitions
• Export Variables: Download all variables as CSV or JSON
• Copy from Environment: Copy all variables from another environment

Header Editing

Add Header:

1. Click Add Header button
2. Enter header name (required)
3. Enter header value (required)
4. Click Save

Edit/Delete Header: Same workflow as variable editing

Authentication Editing

Change Auth Type:

1. Click Edit in Authentication section
2. Select new authentication type
3. Enter required credentials
4. Click Save

Remove Authentication:

1. Click Edit in Authentication section
2. Select None as authentication type
3. Click Save

Save Behavior

• Auto-save: Changes to individual variables save immediately
• Manual save: Changes to name, type, base URL require clicking Save
• Cancel: Reverts unsaved changes to last saved state

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Environment Actions

Set as Default

Make an environment the default selection for new launches.

1. Click the Set as Default button in environment detail view
2. Or click the star icon in the environment list view

Behavior:

• Previous default environment loses default status
• New default environment is immediately active
• New launches pre-select this environment
• Existing launches are not affected

Activate/Deactivate

Toggle environment availability for test execution.

1. Click the Activate/Deactivate toggle in environment detail view
2. Or use the status toggle in the environment list view

Deactivate Behavior:

• Environment cannot be selected for new launches
• Existing launches using this environment are not affected
• Running tests continue to completion
• Variables and values remain accessible

Activate Behavior:

• Environment becomes available for selection
• All previous configuration intact
• Can immediately be used for new launches

Use Cases:

• Temporarily disable staging during maintenance
• Deactivate production environments not in use
• Activate environments only when needed for security

Clone Environment

Create a copy of an existing environment with all its configuration.

1. Click Clone button in environment detail view
2. Edit the cloned environment:
   • Name: Required, must be unique (defaults to "Original Name - Copy")
   • Base URL: Can be modified
   • Variables: All copied, can be edited
   • Headers: All copied, can be edited
   • Authentication: Copied, credentials not included (must re-enter)
3. Click Create Cloned Environment

Clone Behavior:

• Creates new environment with unique ID
• Copies all variables (secrets show as masked, must re-enter values)
• Copies all headers
• Copies authentication configuration (not credentials)
• Not set as default (even if original was default)
• Created as Active

Use Cases:

• Create new staging environment from existing staging
• Set up multiple production environments (regions)
• Template environments for quick setup

Delete Environment

Permanently remove an environment and all its configuration.

1. Click Delete button in environment detail view
2. Enter environment name to confirm
3. Click Confirm Delete

Delete Behavior:

• Permanently removes environment and all configuration
• Deletes all variables, headers, and authentication settings
• Cannot be undone
• Historical test results retain environment name (as snapshot)
• Default status transfers to next available environment if deleted env was default

Restrictions:

• Cannot delete if it's the only environment in the project
• Cannot delete if it's the default environment (must set new default first)
• Warning if environment has been used in recent launches

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Variable Interpolation

Variables can be referenced in test configurations, headers, and authentication using interpolation syntax.

Syntax

{{VARIABLE_NAME}}

Interpolation Locations

Headers:

Authorization: Bearer {{API_TOKEN}}
X-Environment: {{ENVIRONMENT_NAME}}

Base URL:

https://{{SUBDOMAIN}}.example.com

Authentication:

• Token field can reference variables
• Custom header values can reference variables

Variable Resolution

1. Check launch-level variables first
2. Check environment-level variables second
3. Check global (workspace) variables third
4. Return empty string if variable not found

Nested Variables

Variables can reference other variables:

API_URL = https://{{API_SUBDOMAIN}}.example.com
FULL_PATH = {{API_URL}}/v1/endpoint

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Environment Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use consistent, descriptive names:

• Development - Local
• Development - Shared
• Staging - US-East
• Staging - EU-West
• Production - US
• Production - EU

Variable Organization

• Group related variables: Use prefixes like DB_, API_, AUTH_
• Use uppercase: Variable names are case-sensitive, uppercase convention
• Document purposes: Use description field for complex variables
• Secure secrets: Mark sensitive data as Secret type

Base URL Management

• No trailing slashes: Use https://api.example.com not https://api.example.com/
• Include protocol: Always specify http:// or https://
• Use environment variables: Enable multi-region setups with variable URLs
• Document in description: Note any special routing or proxy requirements

Security

• Never log secrets: Secret variables are masked in all views and logs
• Rotate credentials: Update API keys and tokens regularly
• Limit access: Only necessary team members should access production environments
• Audit reveals: Secret reveal events are logged for security tracking
• Use least privilege: Grant minimum required permissions for test accounts

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Related Topics

• How-to: Executing Tests - Selecting environments for test execution
• How-to: Test Reporting - Filtering results by environment
• Reference: Launches - Launch execution reference
• Concepts: Projects - Project-level environment management