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

# Environment Variables

> Example overview page before API endpoints

## Overview

Environment variables in Hotglue allow you to dynamically configure various settings that your ETL transformation scripts can utilize. This enables easier maintenance and scaling of your integration tasks. Commonly, environment variables are used for API URLs, export formats, and other dynamic settings.

***

## Accessing the Environment Variables Setting Page

1. Log in to your Hotglue account.
2. Navigate to the **Settings** tab on the sidebar.
3. Click on the **Environment Variables** option.

***

## Adding Environment Variables

To add an environment variable:

1. Navigate to the **Environment Variables** setting page.
2. Add a **Key** and **Value** for your variable.
3. Click **Save** to create the new variable.
4. You can always click the ✎ **pencil** icon to edit an existing variable

***

## Default Environment Variables

### DEFAULT\_EXPORT\_FORMAT

* **Description**: Defines the default export format for all ETL transformation scripts.
* **Accepted Values**: `json`, `csv`, `parquet`

## Usage in ETL Transformation Scripts

To use environment variables in your ETL transformation scripts, you can utilize the `os.environ` Python library as shown below:

```python Python theme={null}
import os

api_url = os.environ.get('API_URL')

```

***

## Best Practices

* **Naming Convention**: Use all upper-case letters and underscores to define variable names (e.g., `API_URL`).
* **Default Values**: Always include default values in your ETL scripts for environment variables when applicable.
* **Validation**: Implement validation checks in your ETL scripts to ensure that environment variables contain expected types and values.
* **Consistency**: Use consistent naming and value types across multiple environment variables to make the system more intuitive and easier to manage.