Environment variables and persistent files on blitz.cloud

Set encrypted environment variables for your apps on blitz.cloud and keep files across restarts with persistent storage. Limits and what isn't backed up.

On blitz.cloud, environment variables are set on each app's Environment tab, stored encrypted, and applied the next time the app restarts. Files survive restarts when the app writes them to one of its kept folders. Those folders are not backed up yet, so keep a copy of anything you can't lose.

Environment variables

Open an app in the dashboard and go to Environment. You can add, change and delete variables there.

Up to 64 variables per app.
Values are hidden by default and shown one at a time when you click to reveal them.
Values are encrypted before they're stored and only decrypted on the way into the app.
Changes apply on the next restart. The page has a restart button next to that note.

Variables that connect an app to its database are filled in by blitz.cloud and marked as such. See databases.

For App Store apps, the Environment tab starts with the settings the store entry provides, generated secrets included.

Persistent files

A container's filesystem is thrown away when it restarts. Only the app's kept folders survive.

App Store apps keep the folders their entry names, like Ghost's content folder.
Docker images keep the folders they declare with VOLUME, plus any the detection suggests. You can edit the list under Advanced settings in the wizard.
An app can keep up to 6 folders.

Behind the scenes, all apps in your account share one disk, and each app gets its own folder on it. An app can't see another app's files.

Storage reservations

Each app that keeps files reserves part of your plan's storage:

App type	Reserved
Docker image with kept folders	1 GB
App Store app	What the store lists, 1 to 5 GB
Database	1 GB (Redis: 0.5 GB)

The meter in Settings shows what is reserved, not what is actually written. The free plan has 10 GB. See limits.

Backups

Kept folders are not backed up. Databases are, every night. If your app stores uploads or a SQLite database on disk, download your own copies regularly, or use a managed database instead of SQLite.

Deleting an app deletes its files. There is no undo.

Exporting your data

There's no download button for app files or databases yet. If you want to move somewhere else, write to hallo@blitzworks.io and we'll help you get your data out.