> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/caddyserver/caddy/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# caddy environ

> Print the environment as seen by the Caddy process

The `caddy environ` command prints the environment as seen by the Caddy process.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ [flags]
```

## Description

Prints the environment as seen by this Caddy process, including:

* **Caddy-specific paths** (home, data, config directories)
* **Runtime information** (Go version, OS, architecture)
* **All environment variables**

This is useful for:

* **Debugging** environment variable issues
* **Verifying** Caddy can see expected variables
* **Troubleshooting** path and configuration issues
* **Understanding** how Caddy will behave in different environments

<Warning>
  **Security**: Environments may contain sensitive data like API keys, passwords, and tokens. Be careful when sharing output from this command.
</Warning>

## Flags

<ParamField path="--envfile" type="string[]" default="[]">
  Environment file(s) to load in KEY=VALUE format before printing.

  Useful for testing how environment files will be loaded.
</ParamField>

## Examples

### Print current environment

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ
```

Output:

```
caddy.HomeDir=/home/user
caddy.AppDataDir=/home/user/.local/share/caddy
caddy.AppConfigDir=/home/user/.config/caddy
caddy.ConfigAutosavePath=/home/user/.config/caddy/autosave.json
caddy.Version=v2.7.6 h1:w0NymbG2m9PcvKWsrXO6EEkY9Ru4FJK8uQbYcev1p3A=
runtime.GOOS=linux
runtime.GOARCH=amd64
runtime.Compiler=gc
runtime.NumCPU=8
runtime.GOMAXPROCS=8
runtime.Version=go1.21.5
os.Getwd=/home/user/myapp

PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin
HOME=/home/user
USER=user
SHELL=/bin/bash
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
...
```

### Test environment file loading

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ --envfile .env
```

This loads `.env` before printing, so you can verify the variables are set correctly.

### Test multiple environment files

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ --envfile .env --envfile .env.local
```

Later files override earlier ones.

### Save environment to file

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ > caddy-env.txt
```

### Compare environments

Compare development vs production:

```bash theme={null}
# On dev machine
caddy environ > env-dev.txt

# On production server
ssh prod 'caddy environ' > env-prod.txt

# Compare
diff env-dev.txt env-prod.txt
```

### Check specific variable

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ | grep API_KEY
```

## Output Format

The output has two sections:

### 1. Caddy Information

Caddy-specific paths and runtime info:

```
caddy.HomeDir=/home/user
caddy.AppDataDir=/home/user/.local/share/caddy
caddy.AppConfigDir=/home/user/.config/caddy
caddy.ConfigAutosavePath=/home/user/.config/caddy/autosave.json
caddy.Version=v2.7.6 h1:...
runtime.GOOS=linux
runtime.GOARCH=amd64
runtime.Compiler=gc
runtime.NumCPU=8
runtime.GOMAXPROCS=8
runtime.Version=go1.21.5
os.Getwd=/current/working/directory
```

### 2. Environment Variables

All environment variables in `KEY=VALUE` format:

```
PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin
HOME=/home/user
USER=user
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
MY_API_KEY=secret123
...
```

## Caddy Path Variables

<ParamField path="caddy.HomeDir" type="string">
  User's home directory.

  On Unix: `$HOME`\
  On Windows: `%USERPROFILE%`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="caddy.AppDataDir" type="string">
  Directory where Caddy stores data (TLS certificates, ACME accounts, etc.).

  Default:

  * Linux: `$HOME/.local/share/caddy`
  * macOS: `$HOME/Library/Application Support/Caddy`
  * Windows: `%APPDATA%/Caddy`

  Can be overridden with `$XDG_DATA_HOME/caddy`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="caddy.AppConfigDir" type="string">
  Directory where Caddy stores configuration.

  Default:

  * Linux: `$HOME/.config/caddy`
  * macOS: `$HOME/Library/Application Support/Caddy`
  * Windows: `%APPDATA%/Caddy`

  Can be overridden with `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/caddy`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="caddy.ConfigAutosavePath" type="string">
  Path where Caddy saves the last running config for `--resume`.

  Usually `{caddy.AppConfigDir}/autosave.json`
</ParamField>

## Environment Variables in Config

If your Caddyfile uses environment variables:

```caddyfile theme={null}
{$SITE_ADDRESS} {
    reverse_proxy {env.BACKEND_HOST}:{env.BACKEND_PORT}
    
    tls {env.TLS_EMAIL}
}
```

You can verify they're set:

```bash theme={null}
caddy environ | grep -E '(SITE_ADDRESS|BACKEND_HOST|BACKEND_PORT|TLS_EMAIL)'
```

## Common Use Cases

### 1. Debug missing variables

```bash theme={null}
# Check if variable is set
caddy environ | grep MY_VARIABLE

# If not found, variable is not set
```

### 2. Verify service manager environment

Environments differ between shells and service managers:

```bash theme={null}
# In shell
caddy environ > env-shell.txt

# Via systemd
systemctl cat caddy  # Check EnvironmentFile
sudo systemctl show caddy --property=Environment
```

### 3. Test environment files

```bash theme={null}
# See what .env adds
caddy environ --envfile .env | grep -v '^caddy\|^runtime\|^os'
```

### 4. CI/CD debugging

In GitHub Actions or other CI:

```yaml theme={null}
- name: Debug Caddy environment
  run: caddy environ
```

### 5. Container debugging

```bash theme={null}
# In Docker
docker exec caddy-container caddy environ

# Or in docker-compose
docker-compose exec caddy caddy environ
```

## Platform Differences

### Linux

Respects XDG Base Directory specification:

* `$XDG_DATA_HOME` - Data directory
* `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` - Config directory
* `$XDG_CACHE_HOME` - Cache directory

If not set, falls back to `$HOME/.local/share`, `$HOME/.config`, etc.

### macOS

Uses standard macOS paths:

* `~/Library/Application Support/Caddy`

### Windows

Uses Windows environment variables:

* `%APPDATA%\Caddy`
* `%USERPROFILE%`

### Plan 9

Uses `$home` instead of `$HOME`.

## Security Considerations

<Warning>
  The output includes **ALL** environment variables, which may contain:

  * API keys and tokens
  * Database passwords
  * Private keys
  * Session secrets

  **Never share the output publicly** without redacting sensitive data.
</Warning>

To redact sensitive data:

```bash theme={null}
# Remove specific variables
caddy environ | grep -v -E '(PASSWORD|SECRET|KEY|TOKEN)'

# Or manually redact
caddy environ | sed 's/PASSWORD=.*/PASSWORD=<redacted>/'
```

## Alternative: Print environment when running

You can also print the environment when starting Caddy:

```bash theme={null}
caddy run --environ
```

This prints the environment and then continues to run Caddy (unlike `caddy environ` which exits).

## Related Commands

* [`caddy run`](/cli/run) - Start Caddy (with `--environ` flag)
* [`caddy adapt`](/cli/adapt) - Test config with environment variables
* [`caddy validate`](/cli/validate) - Validate config with environment variables