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Environment configuration

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This page lists every environment variable that configures a client, including SDK Temporal Clients and the Temporal CLI, along with its TOML configuration key and the equivalent CLI flag.

For how to use these variables and configuration files together, refer to Environment configuration.

When the same setting comes from more than one place, the highest precedence wins:

  1. A CLI flag passed explicitly on the command line.
  2. An environment variable.
  3. A value in a TOML configuration file.

Every variable below lists the clients that read it. Read by: every client means every SDK and the Temporal CLI.

Configuration file variables​

TEMPORAL_CONFIG_FILE​

Path to the TOML configuration file. Defaults to temporal.toml in a platform-specific directory.

  • TOML key: none
  • CLI flag: --config-file
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_PROFILE​

Name of the configuration profile to load. Defaults to default.

  • TOML key: none
  • CLI flag: --profile
  • Read by: every client

Connection variables​

TEMPORAL_ADDRESS​

Host and port of the Temporal Frontend Service, such as localhost:7233.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.address
  • CLI flag: --address
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_NAMESPACE​

Temporal Namespace to connect to.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.namespace
  • CLI flag: --namespace
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_API_KEY​

API key for authentication. When set, TLS is enabled by default.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.api_key
  • CLI flag: --api-key
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_CLIENT_AUTHORITY​

Overrides the :authority gRPC header. This is a Go SDK extension with no equivalent in other clients and no CLI flag of its own.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.authority
  • CLI flag: none
  • Read by: Go

TLS variables​

TEMPORAL_TLS​

Set to true to enable TLS, false to disable it. The TOML key inverts the value: disabled = true turns TLS off.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.disabled
  • CLI flag: --tls
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_PATH​

Filesystem path to the client's public TLS certificate. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_DATA.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.client_cert_path
  • CLI flag: --tls-cert-path
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_DATA​

Raw PEM data for the client's public TLS certificate. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_PATH.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.client_cert_data
  • CLI flag: --tls-cert-data
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_PATH​

Filesystem path to the client's private TLS key. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_DATA.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.client_key_path
  • CLI flag: --tls-key-path
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_DATA​

Raw PEM data for the client's private TLS key. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_PATH.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.client_key_data
  • CLI flag: --tls-key-data
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_PATH​

Filesystem path to the Certificate Authority certificate used to verify the server. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_DATA.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.server_ca_cert_path
  • CLI flag: --tls-ca-path
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_DATA​

Raw PEM data for the Certificate Authority certificate used to verify the server. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_PATH.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.server_ca_cert_data
  • CLI flag: --tls-ca-data
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_NAME​

Overrides the server name used for Server Name Indication (SNI) in the TLS handshake.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.server_name
  • CLI flag: --tls-server-name
  • Read by: every client

TEMPORAL_TLS_DISABLE_HOST_VERIFICATION​

Disables server hostname verification. Use with caution. Not every SDK applies this setting.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.tls.disable_host_verification
  • CLI flag: --tls-disable-host-verification
  • Read by: every client

gRPC metadata variables​

TEMPORAL_GRPC_META_*​

Sets gRPC headers. The part after _META_ becomes the header key, so TEMPORAL_GRPC_META_SOME_KEY sets some-key.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.grpc_meta
  • CLI flag: --grpc-meta
  • Read by: every client

Codec Server variables​

TEMPORAL_CODEC_ENDPOINT​

Endpoint for a remote Codec Server. SDKs that read this variable do not apply the codec by default, so it is intended mostly for CLI use.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.codec.endpoint
  • CLI flag: --codec-endpoint
  • Read by: every client except Java

TEMPORAL_CODEC_AUTH​

Authorization header value sent to the remote Codec Server.

  • TOML key: profile.<name>.codec.auth
  • CLI flag: --codec-auth
  • Read by: every client except Java

temporal env preset variables​

The Temporal CLI supports a second configuration mechanism alongside TOML configuration files. temporal env stores named key-value presets in temporal.yaml, and the variables below select which preset the CLI reads.

Both mechanisms work. The temporal config command that manages TOML configuration files is currently experimental, while temporal env is not.

TEMPORAL_ENV​

Name of the active temporal env preset. Defaults to default.

  • TOML key: none
  • CLI flag: --env
  • Read by: Temporal CLI

TEMPORAL_ENV_FILE​

Path to the preset file. Defaults to temporal.yaml in the CLI configuration directory.

  • TOML key: none
  • CLI flag: --env-file
  • Read by: Temporal CLI

Legacy TLS variables​

The Temporal CLI reads an older set of TLS variable names for compatibility. When any of them is set, it overrides the corresponding value from the configuration file and from the preferred variable. These names have no CLI flag and no TOML key of their own.

TEMPORAL_TLS_CERT​

Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_PATH.

  • Read by: Temporal CLI

TEMPORAL_TLS_CERT_DATA​

Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_DATA.

  • Read by: Temporal CLI

TEMPORAL_TLS_KEY​

Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_PATH.

  • Read by: Temporal CLI

TEMPORAL_TLS_KEY_DATA​

Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_DATA.

  • Read by: Temporal CLI

TEMPORAL_TLS_CA​

Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_PATH.

  • Read by: Temporal CLI

TEMPORAL_TLS_CA_DATA​

Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_DATA.

  • Read by: Temporal CLI