Express environment variables in production

No. ezhst deploy skips every .env* file. Use ezhst env set or ezhst env import.

.env files are never uploaded to EasyHost. Here is how to set variables for Express, and when each one takes effect.

Last updated November 9, 2026

How Express reads variables

Express has no browser bundle of its own, so every variable is server-only and read from process.env at runtime.

npx ezhst env set SESSION_SECRET=change-me
npx ezhst env import .env
npx ezhst env list
npx ezhst redeploy

Variables apply on the next deploy or redeploy.

Variable	Value	Available
`NODE_ENV`	`production`	When the app runs, not during install or build
`PORT`	`3000`	Build and runtime
`HOST`	`0.0.0.0`	When the app runs
`HOSTNAME`	`0.0.0.0`	Build and runtime

Your own variables are available in both the build and the running app.

Variable is undefined because it was only in a .env file
A public variable is undefined in the browser because it changed after the build

See the Express hub for every Express guide, or free Express hosting for what is included.

No. ezhst deploy skips every .env* file. Use ezhst env set or ezhst env import.

Install the skill, choose Global or Local, then tell your agent to deploy. No credit card, no config files.

npx ezhst skill install