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Build environment variables are key-value pairs that let you pass configuration
information to buildpacks when deploying
from source code. For example, at build time, you might want to customize
compiler options, specify build-time certificates, configure parameters, and so
forth.
This page shows how to set build environment variables that are available at
build time, and is relevant for platform developers who are deploying
Cloud Run services or
functions from source. The build environment
variable gcloud CLI flags are supported for
source deployments (--source), and not
supported for container image deployments (--image).
You can use environment variables for service or function configuration, but we don't
recommend them as a way to store secrets such as database credentials or API keys.
Store sensitive values outside both your source code and environment variables. To
store secrets, we recommend using Secret Manager.
To configure services that access secrets stored in Secret Manager,
see Configure secrets.
Before you begin
Enable the Cloud Run Admin API and the Cloud Build API:
Service Account User (roles/iam.serviceAccountUser) on the Cloud Run service identity
Click to view required roles for the Cloud Build service account
Cloud Build automatically uses the
Compute Engine default service
account as the default Cloud Build service account to build your source code and
Cloud Run resource, unless you override this behavior. For
Cloud Build to build your sources, ask your administrator to grant
Cloud Run Builder
(roles/run.builder) to the Compute Engine default
service account on your project:
Replace PROJECT_NUMBER with your Google Cloud
project number, and PROJECT_ID with your Google Cloud
project ID. For detailed instructions on how to find your project ID, and project number,
see Creating
and managing projects.
Granting the Cloud Run builder role to the Compute Engine default service account
takes a couple of minutes to propagate.
KEY1=VALUE1,KEY2=VALUE2 with the comma-separated list of
variable names and their values that are deployed alongside a function
that let you pass configuration information to buildpacks.
If you are deploying a function, add the --function flag with the function
entry point from your source code.
Update build environment variables
You can update build environment variables for existing services. This is a
non-destructive approach that changes or adds build environment variables, but
does not delete the build environment variables.
gcloud
To update build environment variables for existing services, use the
--update-build-env-vars flag:
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Set build environment variables (source deploy)\n\nBuild environment variables are key-value pairs that let you pass configuration\ninformation to [buildpacks](/docs/buildpacks/overview) when deploying\nfrom source code. For example, at build time, you might want to customize\ncompiler options, specify build-time certificates, configure parameters, and so\nforth.\n\nThis page shows how to set build environment variables that are available at\nbuild time, and is relevant for platform developers who are deploying\nCloud Run [services](/run/docs/deploying-source-code) or\n[functions](/run/docs/deploy-functions) from source. The build environment\nvariable gcloud CLI flags are supported for\n[source deployments](/run/docs/deploying-source-code) (`--source`), and not\nsupported for [container image deployments](/run/docs/deploying) (`--image`).\n\nYou can use environment variables for service or function configuration, but we don't\nrecommend them as a way to store secrets such as database credentials or API keys.\nStore sensitive values outside both your source code and environment variables. To\nstore secrets, we recommend using Secret Manager.\nTo configure services that access secrets stored in Secret Manager,\nsee [Configure secrets](/run/docs/configuring/secrets).\n\nBefore you begin\n----------------\n\n- Enable the Cloud Run Admin API and the Cloud Build API:\n\n ```bash\n gcloud services enable run.googleapis.com \\\n cloudbuild.googleapis.com\n ```\n\n After the Cloud Run Admin API is enabled, the Compute Engine default service account is\n automatically created.\n\n### Required roles\n\nYou or your administrator must grant the deployer account and the\nCloud Build service account the following IAM roles. \n\n#### Click to view required roles for the deployer account\n\nTo get the permissions that you need to build and deploy from source,\nask your administrator to grant you the following IAM\nroles:\n\n- [Cloud Run Source Developer](/iam/docs/understanding-roles#run.sourceDeveloper) (`roles/run.sourceDeveloper`) on your project\n- [Service Usage Consumer](/iam/docs/understanding-roles#serviceusage.serviceUsageConsumer) (`roles/serviceusage.serviceUsageConsumer`) on your project\n- [Service Account User](/iam/docs/understanding-roles#iam.serviceAccountUser) (`roles/iam.serviceAccountUser`) on the Cloud Run service identity \n\n#### Click to view required roles for the Cloud Build service account\n\nCloud Build automatically uses the\n[Compute Engine default service\naccount](/build/docs/cloud-build-service-account) as the default Cloud Build service account to build your source code and\nCloud Run resource, unless you override this behavior. For\nCloud Build to build your sources, ask your administrator to grant\n[Cloud Run Builder](/iam/docs/understanding-roles#run.builder)\n(`roles/run.builder`) to the Compute Engine default\nservice account on your project: \n\n```bash\n gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding PROJECT_ID \\\n --member=serviceAccount:PROJECT_NUMBER-compute@developer.gserviceaccount.com \\\n --role=roles/run.builder\n \n```\n\nReplace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003ePROJECT_NUMBER\u003c/var\u003e with your Google Cloud\nproject number, and \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003ePROJECT_ID\u003c/var\u003e with your Google Cloud\nproject ID. For detailed instructions on how to find your project ID, and project number,\nsee [Creating\nand managing projects](/resource-manager/docs/creating-managing-projects#identifying_projects).\n\nGranting the Cloud Run builder role to the Compute Engine default service account\ntakes a couple of minutes to [propagate](/iam/docs/access-change-propagation).\n| **Note:**\n|\n|\n| The [`iam.automaticIamGrantsForDefaultServiceAccounts` organization policy constraint](/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/restricting-service-accounts#disable_service_account_default_grants)\n| prevents the Editor role from being automatically granted to default service accounts. If you\n| created your organization after May 3, 2024, this constraint is enforced by\n| default.\n|\n|\n| We strongly recommend that you enforce this constraint to disable the automatic role grant. If you\n| disable the automatic role grant, you must decide which roles to grant to the default service\n| accounts, and then [grant these roles](/iam/docs/granting-changing-revoking-access)\n| yourself.\n|\n|\n| If the default service account already has the Editor role, we recommend that you replace the\n| Editor role with less permissive roles.To safely modify the service account's roles, use [Policy Simulator](/policy-intelligence/docs/simulate-iam-policies) to see the impact of\n| the change, and then [grant and revoke the\n| appropriate roles](/iam/docs/granting-changing-revoking-access).\n\nFor a list of IAM roles and permissions that are associated with\nCloud Run, see\n[Cloud Run IAM roles](/run/docs/reference/iam/roles)\nand [Cloud Run IAM permissions](/run/docs/reference/iam/permissions).\nIf your Cloud Run service interfaces with\nGoogle Cloud APIs, such as Cloud Client Libraries, see the\n[service identity configuration guide](/run/docs/configuring/services/service-identity).\nFor more information about granting roles, see\n[deployment permissions](/run/docs/reference/iam/roles#additional-configuration)\nand [manage access](/iam/docs/granting-changing-revoking-access).\n\nMaximum number of build environment variables and limits\n--------------------------------------------------------\n\nYou can define up to 100 build environment\nvariables, with a total key and value limit of 64 KiB.\n\nSet build environment variables\n-------------------------------\n\nYou can set build environment variables to establish new variables or completely\nreplace existing build variables.\n**Note:** Keys must start with an uppercase ASCII letter, and consist of uppercase ASCII letters, digits, and underscores. You should avoid creating variable keys with a `GOOGLE_*` prefix. [View all supported buildpacks environment variables](/docs/buildpacks/service-specific-configs). \n\n### gcloud\n\nTo set build environment variables when deploying a service from\nsource code, use the `--set-build-env-vars` flag: \n\n```bash\ngcloud run deploy SERVICE \\\n --source . \\\n --set-build-env-vars KEY1=VALUE1,KEY2=VALUE2\n```\n\nReplace:\n\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eSERVICE\u003c/var\u003e with name of your Cloud Run service.\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eKEY1=VALUE1,KEY2=VALUE2\u003c/var\u003e with the comma-separated list of variable names and their values that are deployed alongside a function that let you pass configuration information to buildpacks.\n\nIf you are deploying a function, add the `--function` flag with the function\nentry point from your source code.\n\nUpdate build environment variables\n----------------------------------\n\nYou can update build environment variables for existing services. This is a\nnon-destructive approach that changes or adds build environment variables, but\ndoes not delete the build environment variables. \n\n### gcloud\n\nTo update build environment variables for existing services, use the\n`--update-build-env-vars` flag: \n\n```bash\ngcloud run deploy SERVICE \\\n --source . \\\n --update-build-env-vars KEY1=VALUE1,KEY2=VALUE2\n```\n\nIf you are deploying a function, add the `--function` flag with the function\nentry point from your source code.\n\nDelete build environment variables\n----------------------------------\n\nYou can delete build environment variables for existing services. \n\n### gcloud\n\nTo remove build environment variables for existing services, use the\n`--remove-build-env-vars` flag: \n\n```bash\ngcloud run deploy SERVICE \\\n --source . \\\n --remove-build-env-vars KEY1=VALUE1,KEY2=VALUE2\n```\n\nAlternatively, you can clear build environment variables by using the\n`--clear-build-env-vars` for existing services: \n\n```bash\ngcloud run deploy SERVICE \\\n --source . \\\n --clear-build-env-vars KEY1=VALUE1,KEY2=VALUE2\n```\n\nIf you are deploying a function, add the `--function` flag with the function\nentry point from your source code.\n\nUse a build environment variables file\n--------------------------------------\n\nYou can use a build environment variables file for existing functions. \n\n### gcloud\n\nTo set build environment variables from a file, use the\n`--build-env-vars-file` flag: \n\n```bash\ngcloud run deploy SERVICE \\\n --source . \\\n --build-env-vars-file FILE_NAME.yaml\n```\n\nReplace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eFILE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e.yaml where the contents of the file, which\nshould look as follows: \n\n KEY1: VALUE1\n KEY2: VALUE2\n\nIf you are deploying a function, add the `--function` flag with the function\nentry point from your source code."]]
