Getting

Retrieve environment variables from your sandbox. You can get all variables at once or fetch specific variables by name.

Overview

Getting environment variables is useful for:

Inspecting current environment configuration
Verifying variables are set correctly
Accessing system and custom variables
Debugging environment-related issues

Environment variables include both system variables (like PATH, HOME) and custom variables you’ve set. Sensitive values may be masked in responses.

Get All Environment Variables

Retrieve all environment variables:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Get all environment variables
env = sandbox.env.get_all()
print(f"Total variables: {len(env)}")

# Access specific variables
print(f"PATH: {env.get('PATH', 'not set')}")
print(f"HOME: {env.get('HOME', 'not set')}")

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Get all environment variables
const env = await sandbox.env.getAll();
console.log(`Total variables: ${Object.keys(env).length}`);

// Access specific variables
console.log(`PATH: ${env.PATH || 'not set'}`);
console.log(`HOME: ${env.HOME || 'not set'}`);

await sandbox.kill();

Get Specific Variable

Get a single environment variable:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Get a specific variable
api_key = sandbox.env.get("API_KEY")
if api_key:
    print(f"API key: {api_key[:10]}...")
else:
    print("API_KEY not set")

# Get with default value
db_url = sandbox.env.get("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://localhost/db")
print(f"Database URL: {db_url}")

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Get a specific variable
const apiKey = await sandbox.env.get('API_KEY');
if (apiKey) {
  console.log(`API key: ${apiKey.substring(0, 10)}...`);
} else {
  console.log('API_KEY not set');
}

// Get with default value
const dbUrl = await sandbox.env.get('DATABASE_URL', 'postgres://localhost/db');
console.log(`Database URL: ${dbUrl}`);

await sandbox.kill();

List All Variables

Iterate through all environment variables:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Get all variables
env = sandbox.env.get_all()

# List all variables
print("Environment Variables:")
for key, value in sorted(env.items()):
    # Mask sensitive values
    if any(sensitive in key.upper() for sensitive in ['KEY', 'SECRET', 'PASSWORD', 'TOKEN']):
        print(f"  {key}=***MASKED***")
    else:
        print(f"  {key}={value}")

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Get all variables
const env = await sandbox.env.getAll();

// List all variables
console.log('Environment Variables:');
for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(env).sort()) {
  // Mask sensitive values
  const isSensitive = ['KEY', 'SECRET', 'PASSWORD', 'TOKEN'].some(
    s => key.toUpperCase().includes(s)
  );
  if (isSensitive) {
    console.log(`  ${key}=***MASKED***`);
  } else {
    console.log(`  ${key}=${value}`);
  }
}

await sandbox.kill();

Filter Variables

Filter environment variables by prefix or pattern:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Get all variables
env = sandbox.env.get_all()

# Filter by prefix
api_vars = {k: v for k, v in env.items() if k.startswith('API_')}
print(f"API variables: {list(api_vars.keys())}")

# Filter by pattern
debug_vars = {k: v for k, v in env.items() if 'DEBUG' in k.upper()}
print(f"Debug variables: {list(debug_vars.keys())}")

# Filter custom variables (exclude system vars)
system_vars = {'PATH', 'HOME', 'USER', 'SHELL', 'PWD'}
custom_vars = {k: v for k, v in env.items() if k not in system_vars}
print(f"Custom variables: {list(custom_vars.keys())}")

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Get all variables
const env = await sandbox.env.getAll();

// Filter by prefix
const apiVars = Object.fromEntries(
  Object.entries(env).filter(([k]) => k.startsWith('API_'))
);
console.log(`API variables: ${Object.keys(apiVars)}`);

// Filter by pattern
const debugVars = Object.fromEntries(
  Object.entries(env).filter(([k]) => k.toUpperCase().includes('DEBUG'))
);
console.log(`Debug variables: ${Object.keys(debugVars)}`);

// Filter custom variables (exclude system vars)
const systemVars = new Set(['PATH', 'HOME', 'USER', 'SHELL', 'PWD']);
const customVars = Object.fromEntries(
  Object.entries(env).filter(([k]) => !systemVars.has(k))
);
console.log(`Custom variables: ${Object.keys(customVars)}`);

await sandbox.kill();

Check Variable Existence

Check if a variable exists:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Check if variable exists
api_key = sandbox.env.get("API_KEY")
if api_key:
    print("API_KEY is set")
else:
    print("API_KEY is not set")

# Check multiple variables
required_vars = ["API_KEY", "DATABASE_URL", "NODE_ENV"]
env = sandbox.env.get_all()

missing = [var for var in required_vars if var not in env]
if missing:
    print(f"Missing variables: {missing}")
else:
    print("All required variables are set")

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Check if variable exists
const apiKey = await sandbox.env.get('API_KEY');
if (apiKey) {
  console.log('API_KEY is set');
} else {
  console.log('API_KEY is not set');
}

// Check multiple variables
const requiredVars = ['API_KEY', 'DATABASE_URL', 'NODE_ENV'];
const env = await sandbox.env.getAll();

const missing = requiredVars.filter(v => !(v in env));
if (missing.length > 0) {
  console.log(`Missing variables: ${missing}`);
} else {
  console.log('All required variables are set');
}

await sandbox.kill();

Verify Variables in Code

Verify environment variables are accessible in code execution:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Set some variables
sandbox.env.set("API_KEY", "sk-123")
sandbox.env.set("DEBUG", "true")

# Verify they're accessible in code
result = sandbox.run_code('''
import os
print(f"API_KEY: {os.getenv('API_KEY')}")
print(f"DEBUG: {os.getenv('DEBUG')}")
''')

print(result.stdout)

# Get variables via env API
env = sandbox.env.get_all()
print(f"\nVia API - API_KEY: {env.get('API_KEY')}")
print(f"Via API - DEBUG: {env.get('DEBUG')}")

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Set some variables
await sandbox.env.set('API_KEY', 'sk-123');
await sandbox.env.set('DEBUG', 'true');

// Verify they're accessible in code
const result = await sandbox.runCode(`
import os
print(f"API_KEY: {os.getenv('API_KEY')}")
print(f"DEBUG: {os.getenv('DEBUG')}")
`);

console.log(result.stdout);

// Get variables via env API
const env = await sandbox.env.getAll();
console.log(`\nVia API - API_KEY: ${env.API_KEY}`);
console.log(`Via API - DEBUG: ${env.DEBUG}`);

await sandbox.kill();

Complete Example

Here’s a complete example showing environment variable retrieval:

Python
JavaScript

from hopx_ai import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create(template="code-interpreter")

# Set up environment
sandbox.env.set_all({
    "API_KEY": "sk-prod-xyz",
    "DATABASE_URL": "postgres://localhost/db",
    "NODE_ENV": "production",
    "DEBUG": "false"
})

# Get all variables
print("📋 All Environment Variables:")
env = sandbox.env.get_all()
for key, value in sorted(env.items()):
    if any(sensitive in key.upper() for sensitive in ['KEY', 'SECRET', 'PASSWORD']):
        print(f"  {key}=***MASKED***")
    else:
        print(f"  {key}={value}")

# Get specific variables
print("\n🔍 Specific Variables:")
api_key = sandbox.env.get("API_KEY")
print(f"  API_KEY: {'Set' if api_key else 'Not set'}")

db_url = sandbox.env.get("DATABASE_URL")
print(f"  DATABASE_URL: {db_url}")

node_env = sandbox.env.get("NODE_ENV", "development")
print(f"  NODE_ENV: {node_env}")

# Verify in code execution
print("\n✅ Verification in Code:")
result = sandbox.run_code('''
import os
print(f"API_KEY: {os.getenv('API_KEY', 'not set')[:10]}...")
print(f"DATABASE_URL: {os.getenv('DATABASE_URL', 'not set')}")
print(f"NODE_ENV: {os.getenv('NODE_ENV', 'not set')}")
''')
print(result.stdout)

sandbox.kill()

import { Sandbox } from '@hopx-ai/sdk';

const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({ template: 'code-interpreter' });

// Set up environment
await sandbox.env.setAll({
  API_KEY: 'sk-prod-xyz',
  DATABASE_URL: 'postgres://localhost/db',
  NODE_ENV: 'production',
  DEBUG: 'false'
});

// Get all variables
console.log('📋 All Environment Variables:');
const env = await sandbox.env.getAll();
for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(env).sort()) {
  const isSensitive = ['KEY', 'SECRET', 'PASSWORD'].some(
    s => key.toUpperCase().includes(s)
  );
  if (isSensitive) {
    console.log(`  ${key}=***MASKED***`);
  } else {
    console.log(`  ${key}=${value}`);
  }
}

// Get specific variables
console.log('\n🔍 Specific Variables:');
const apiKey = await sandbox.env.get('API_KEY');
console.log(`  API_KEY: ${apiKey ? 'Set' : 'Not set'}`);

const dbUrl = await sandbox.env.get('DATABASE_URL');
console.log(`  DATABASE_URL: ${dbUrl}`);

const nodeEnv = await sandbox.env.get('NODE_ENV', 'development');
console.log(`  NODE_ENV: ${nodeEnv}`);

// Verify in code execution
console.log('\n✅ Verification in Code:');
const result = await sandbox.runCode(`
import os
print(f"API_KEY: {os.getenv('API_KEY', 'not set')[:10]}...")
print(f"DATABASE_URL: {os.getenv('DATABASE_URL', 'not set')}")
print(f"NODE_ENV: {os.getenv('NODE_ENV', 'not set')}")
`);
console.log(result.stdout);

await sandbox.kill();

Best Practices

1. Use get() for Single Variables

Use env.get(key) for retrieving individual variables with optional defaults.

2. Use get_all() for Multiple Variables

Use env.get_all() when you need to access multiple variables or iterate through all.

3. Handle Missing Variables

Always check if variables exist or provide defaults when retrieving.

4. Mask Sensitive Values

When displaying environment variables, mask sensitive values (keys, secrets, passwords, tokens).

5. Verify in Code

Test that environment variables are accessible in code execution to ensure they’re set correctly.

Setting Environment Variables - Set environment variables
Updating Environment Variables - Update variables
SDK: sandbox.env.get() - Python SDK method
API: GET /env - VM Agent API endpoint
CLI Environment Variables - Environment variables from CLI

Next Steps

Learn about Setting Environment Variables to configure your sandbox
Explore Updating Environment Variables to modify existing variables
Review Clearing Environment Variables to remove variables

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Overview

Get All Environment Variables

Get Specific Variable

List All Variables

Filter Variables

Check Variable Existence

Verify Variables in Code

Complete Example

Best Practices

Next Steps

​Overview

​Get All Environment Variables

​Get Specific Variable

​List All Variables

​Filter Variables

​Check Variable Existence

​Verify Variables in Code

​Complete Example

​Best Practices

​Related

​Next Steps

Overview

Get All Environment Variables

Get Specific Variable

List All Variables

Filter Variables

Check Variable Existence

Verify Variables in Code

Complete Example

Best Practices

Related

Next Steps