Environment variables, per environment
Projects with complex deployment pipelines often need different configuration values depending on where the code is running. Previously, that meant either maintaining multiple configuration files or relying on workarounds. A new update to the Vercel Dashboard simplifies this by letting you define separate Environment Variables for Production, Preview, and Development — all from a single settings panel.
Configure in Project Settings
Head to your project's Project Settings and locate the new Environment Variables section. From there, you can assign a variable to any combination of the three environments. The UI walks you through the process:
This approach also covers System Environment Variables — the platform-provided values that include deployment URLs, Git branch names, and similar metadata. Instead of relying on an automatic scope, you opt in explicitly: pick the system variable from the official list, then enter its name in the settings as shown below to expose it to your code:
New Vercel CLI commands
The Dashboard integration is paired with extended command-line support. Variables you mark for the Development environment can be synced down to your local setup using the new vercel env pull command, which generates a .env file automatically:
$ vercel env pull
Vercel CLI 18.0.0
Downloading Development Environment Variables for project **my-site**
✅ Created **.env** file [510ms]
Note that this requires Vercel CLI version 18.0.0 or later. Two additional commands round out the tooling: vercel env add and vercel env remove let you manage a project's variables directly from a terminal session.
The net effect is that per-environment configuration no longer demands a vercel.json file. With variables defined per environment in the Dashboard, pulling Development values locally becomes a single command — which also makes it easier to share consistent configuration with your team when they collaborate.
