Docker compose setting environment variables

[ghost]

The variables I set like so in the compose file I provide:

services:

  pg:
    container_name:postgres
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: always
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
      - POSTGRES_DB=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PORT=5432
    ports:
      - 5432
    volumes:
      - ./scripts/db-seed.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/db-seed.sql
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

They are undefined when the app is deployed so errors are thrown. Is there a way to set them from the compose file or an .env file?

[Lukas-Sachse]

I tried different ways for some hours and this is my understanding and workaround.

In my case, with Coolify v3.12.28 and a build-step inside one of 3 services:
Coolify don't use anything defined inside environment:, instead it only uses variables defined inside the Coolify-Secrets.

Workaround for Coolify:

1. I removed the environment: part completely

services:

  pg:
    container_name:postgres
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: always
    ports:
      - 5432
    volumes:
      - ./scripts/db-seed.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/db-seed.sql
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

2. I defined all my variables inside a .env file

POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
POSTGRES_DB=postgres
POSTGRES_PORT=5432

3. I copied the whole text and use the Add Secrets in Batch-option inside Coolify-Secrets

➡️ Now it's working inside Coolify

Workaround for Development:

4. I created a separate docker-compose-dev.yaml
5. I am using env_file: .env instead of environment:

services:

  pg:
    container_name:postgres
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: always
    env_file: .env
    ports:
      - 5432
    volumes:
      - ./scripts/db-seed.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/db-seed.sql
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

➡️ Now it's working in my local development with "standard-docker"