Runtime Environment Registry And Startup Config Validation

Runtime environment registry and startup config validation explain how process env, env files, generated docs, strict parsing, exposure checks, and secret validation work together.

Purpose

Use this page when adding an environment variable, diagnosing startup config errors, or preparing a service for public exposure. The generated env table is reference material; this page explains the workflow and failure modes.

Required Inputs

Runtime config resolves process environment first, then AETHER_ENV_FILE, then ancestor .env.local and .env files. Strict startup config parses booleans, ports, URLs, JSON overrides, TLS settings, and secret fields into typed config.

Procedure

Add or change env vars in the config registry, update generated env docs, refresh .env.example when defaults or required values change, and run config-related checks. For public exposure, validate that default secrets and insecure HTTP settings are not accepted accidentally.

Failure Modes

Malformed booleans, invalid ports, broken JSON overrides, missing TLS files, default secret placeholders, and incompatible public exposure settings should aggregate into startup config errors instead of failing one at a time.

Verification

Run the config docs generator and the relevant service startup checks. Confirm README env docs and .env.example match the registry. For secrets, verify the reported secret source is intentional.