Environments

Comprehensive 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

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:

Global Variables (workspace-level): Available to all environments
Environment Variables (environment-level): Override global variables
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.

Create Environment UI

Create a new environment from scratch with all required configuration.

Steps

Click New Environment button in the environment list
Fill in the basic configuration:
- Environment Name (required)
- Type (required)
- Base URL (required)
- Description (optional)
Configure variables (optional)
Configure headers (optional)
Configure authentication (optional)
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

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:

Click Add Variable button
Enter key name (required)
Enter value (required)
Select type (Plain, Secret, File)
Click Save

Edit Variable:

Click Edit icon on variable row
Modify key or value
Click Save

Delete Variable:

Click Delete icon on variable row
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:

Click Add Header button
Enter header name (required)
Enter header value (required)
Click Save

Edit/Delete Header: Same workflow as variable editing

Authentication Editing

Change Auth Type:

Click Edit in Authentication section
Select new authentication type
Enter required credentials
Click Save

Remove Authentication:

Click Edit in Authentication section
Select None as authentication type
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

Environment Actions

Set as Default

Make an environment the default selection for new launches.

Click the Set as Default button in environment detail view
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.

Click the Activate/Deactivate toggle in environment detail view
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.

Click Clone button in environment detail view
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)
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.

Click Delete button in environment detail view
Enter environment name to confirm
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

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

Check launch-level variables first
Check environment-level variables second
Check global (workspace) variables third
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

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

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

Environments ​

Environment List View ​

Columns ​

Environment Types ​

Status Indicators ​

Default Environment Indicator ​

Sorting ​

Filtering ​

Environment Detail View ​

Header Section ​

Environment Information ​

Quick Actions ​

Configuration Section ​

Basic Settings ​

Base URL Configuration ​

Variables Section ​

Variable Management UI ​

Variable Types ​

Secret Variable Display ​

Variable Scope and Override Behavior ​

Headers Section ​

Headers Management UI ​

Common Headers ​

Variable Interpolation in Headers ​

Authentication Section ​

Authentication Types ​

Authentication Storage ​

Create Environment UI ​

Steps ​

Field Validations ​

After Creation ​

Edit Environment UI ​

Editing Modes ​

Quick Edit ​

Full Edit ​

Editable Fields ​

Variable Editing ​

Header Editing ​

Authentication Editing ​

Save Behavior ​

Environment Actions ​

Set as Default ​

Activate/Deactivate ​

Clone Environment ​

Delete Environment ​

Variable Interpolation ​

Syntax ​

Interpolation Locations ​

Variable Resolution ​

Nested Variables ​

Environment Best Practices ​

Naming Conventions ​

Variable Organization ​

Base URL Management ​

Security ​

Related Topics ​