Question

How do you handle environment variables securely in Docker on a Droplet?

Posted on March 26, 2025
Docker
Asked by fdb05b1e9847414ab859b0f7cb4b1e

I’m deploying a few apps in Docker containers on my DigitalOcean Droplet, and I’m currently passing environment variables directly in the docker run command. It works, but doesn’t feel very secure.

What’s the best practice for managing secrets like API keys and database passwords in Docker on a VPS?

Should I be using .env files, Docker secrets, or something else entirely? Curious what others are doing.

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Bobby Iliev

Site Moderator

• March 26, 2025

Accepted Answer

Hey there 👋

For most small-to-medium setups on a VPS like a DigitalOcean Droplet, using a .env file and passing it to your container like this:

docker run --env-file .env your-image

is a solid starting point — just make sure that .env file isn’t committed to version control.

For more advanced setups (especially production), tools like Docker secrets or a secrets manager (like Vault or Doppler) are a better choice, but they can be a bit heavy for smaller projects.

Also, if you’re just getting started or want a refresher, check out this free Docker eBook: 👉 https://github.com/bobbyiliev/introduction-to-docker-ebook

Hope that helps!

- Bobby

alexdo

Site Moderator

• March 27, 2025

heya, @fdb05b1e9847414ab859b0f7cb4b1e

As Bobby mentioned for small and medium setups using a .env should be fine. The other approach will be using a secret manager like HashiCorp Vault or similar:

https://dev.to/darkedges/hashicorp-vault-quickstart-26g6

Regards

KFSys

Site Moderator

• March 27, 2025

Heya,

Apart from what has been said,. If you’re scaling up or handling multiple secrets, you might consider HashiCorp Vault and using an API endpoint from it to get the secrets directly. Ofcourse this would be viable for a bigger project.