Environment Variables aren't processed if running Docker binary normally #1332

New Issue

OVERLORD · 2026-02-05T00:38:43+03:00

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 00:38:43 +03:00

Originally created by @DUOLabs333 on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022).

Subject of the issue

If I run vaultwarden/server:latest with source /etc/.env; /start.sh or source /etc/.etc; /vaultwarden, the new environment variables aren't used (DATA_FOLDER is still /data, and it is using a sqlite database, not my postgres one.

Deployment environment

vaultwarden version: 1.25.1

Install method: Docker image, but run manually in a chroot (the compiled version --- it's too old to show the version number at start-up --- does not have this problem).
Clients used:
Reverse proxy and version:
MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL version:
Other relevant details:

Steps to reproduce

Download the tar ball of the docker image
Chroot into it and make an /etc/.env file with DATA_FOLDER=/etc/data.
Copy /data to /etc/data.
Run source /etc/.env; /start.sh.
See that the data folder used is not /etc/data

Expected behaviour

The variables in /etc/.env are not respected.

Actual behaviour

Troubleshooting data

Originally created by @DUOLabs333 on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022).   ### Subject of the issue If I run `vaultwarden/server:latest` with `source /etc/.env; /start.sh` or `source /etc/.etc; /vaultwarden`, the new environment variables aren't used (`DATA_FOLDER` is still `/data`, and it is using a sqlite database, not my postgres one. ### Deployment environment   * vaultwarden version: 1.25.1  * Install method: Docker image, but run manually in a chroot (the compiled version --- it's too old to show the version number at start-up --- does not have this problem). * Clients used:  * Reverse proxy and version:  * MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL version:  * Other relevant details: ### Steps to reproduce 1. Download the tar ball of the docker image 2. Chroot into it and make an `/etc/.env` file with `DATA_FOLDER=/etc/data`. 3. Copy `/data` to `/etc/data`. 4. Run `source /etc/.env; /start.sh`. 5. See that the data folder used is not `/etc/data` ### Expected behaviour The variables in `/etc/.env` are not respected. ### Actual behaviour  ### Troubleshooting data

OVERLORD closed this issue

2026-02-05 00:38:43 +03:00

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 00:38:50 +03:00

@BlackDex commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022):

I'm unsure what you try to do here.
If you want to use a .env file for vaultwarden to read, either mount/put that .env file in the same folder as the vaultwarden binary. Or set the ENV_FILE=/path/to/env-file before you start Vaultwarden.

Also, a source /etc/.env ; my_script.sh doesn't provide those env's to my_script.sh unless you have export VAR_NAME inside the .env file. That just not how bash or sh work, they do not have access to non-exported variables.

Also, all version of Vaultwarden/Bitwarden_RS show the version numbers during startup, and else it should be somewhere in the docker image metadata.

@BlackDex commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022): I'm unsure what you try to do here. If you want to use a `.env` file for vaultwarden to read, either mount/put that `.env` file in the same folder as the `vaultwarden` binary. Or set the `ENV_FILE=/path/to/env-file` before you start Vaultwarden. Also, a `source /etc/.env ; my_script.sh` doesn't provide those env's to `my_script.sh` unless you have `export VAR_NAME` inside the `.env` file. That just not how bash or sh work, they do not have access to non-exported variables. Also, all version of Vaultwarden/Bitwarden_RS show the version numbers during startup, and else it should be somewhere in the docker image metadata.

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 00:38:56 +03:00

@DUOLabs333 commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022):

I tried set -a; source /etc/.env; /vaultwarden, which should export all variables, but that didn't work either.

@DUOLabs333 commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022): I tried `set -a; source /etc/.env; /vaultwarden`, which should export all variables, but that didn't work either.

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 00:39:00 +03:00

@DUOLabs333 commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022):

ENV_FILE works though.

@DUOLabs333 commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022): `ENV_FILE` works though.

OVERLORD commented

2026-02-05 00:39:01 +03:00

@BlackDex commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022):

Not sure why set -a doesn't work though.
Could be the environment, could be something strange during export of all the vars compared to Vaultwarden reading the file it self. Could be the shell environment bash vs sh, or maybe even the bash/sh version it self.

Main thing is, Vaultwarden is able to read exported environment variables and read the .env file.
So, I think there is no issue.

@BlackDex commented on GitHub (Jul 26, 2022): Not sure why `set -a` doesn't work though. Could be the environment, could be something strange during export of all the vars compared to Vaultwarden reading the file it self. Could be the shell environment bash vs sh, or maybe even the bash/sh version it self. Main thing is, Vaultwarden is able to read exported environment variables and read the `.env` file. So, I think there is no issue.

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Reference: starred/vaultwarden#1332