Environments

Environments are app-wide groups of variables. Unlike collection variables, which belong to a single collection, environments are global: you create them once and can activate any environment from the TabBar while working across collections and tabs.

One active environment is shared across all open request tabs. When an environment is selected, its variables become available to every request you send.

Managing environments

The Environments section in the sidebar sits below Collections. Each section can be collapsed independently.

• Add — Click the + button in the Environments header to open the Add environment dialog. Use Create new to enter a name, or Import from file to load a HarborClient environment export.
• Activate — Click an environment name to make it the active environment. The selected row is highlighted.
• Settings — Double-click an environment, or choose Settings from the row menu, to open environment settings. Edit the name and variables, then save.
• Export — Choose Export from the row menu. HarborClient opens a save dialog with a default filename of {environment-name}.json.
• Duplicate — Choose Duplicate from the row menu. HarborClient creates a new environment named {original-name} (copy) with the same variables and activates it. The original environment is unchanged.
• Delete — Choose Delete from the row menu. This removes the environment and clears the active selection if it was selected.

Selecting an environment

Use the environment dropdown on the far right of the TabBar. Choose an environment name to activate it, or No Environment to clear the selection.

The active environment persists across app restarts. All tabs share the same selection.

Variables

Environment variables use the same shape as collection variables and support {{key}} syntax in:

• Request URLs
• Headers and query params
• Request body
• Pre- and post-request script source

Each variable has four fields:

Field	Description
Key	Variable name referenced in {{key}} placeholders
Value	Value substituted when the variable is resolved
Default	Used when Value is empty
Share	When unchecked, the variable Value is cleared in environment exports (Key, Default, and Share are kept)

When Value is empty, HarborClient uses Default instead.

Precedence

At send time, HarborClient builds a runtime variable map from the active collection and the active environment. Collection variables are loaded first; environment variables are applied on top. When both define the same key, the environment wins.

Values set with hc.variables.set in a pre- or post-request script override both collection and environment variables for the remainder of that send. See Request scripts for script execution order and the hc.variables API.

The request editor highlights {{variable}} tokens using the merged set of collection and environment variables, with environment values shown when keys overlap.

Storage

Environment records are stored alongside collections and requests:

• SQLite — environments table in {userData}/harborclient.db
• Firestore — environments collection when using the Firestore storage provider
• MySQL — environments table when using the MySQL storage provider

See Settings for storage provider and connection configuration.

The active environment ID is stored in browser localStorage under harborclient.activeEnvironmentId, not in storage.

Export and import

Export

Choose Export from the environment row menu. HarborClient opens a save dialog with a default filename of {environment-name}.json. After a successful export, an Environment exported toast appears.

Variables with Share unchecked have their Value cleared in the export file. Key, Default, and the Share flag are kept so you can share exports without exposing secrets.

Import

Import an environment from a .json file using either:

• File → Import (auto-detects environment exports)
• Add environment → Import from file

Import always creates a new environment. It does not merge into or replace an existing environment. On success, HarborClient activates the imported environment and shows an Environment imported toast.

If the file is invalid, HarborClient shows an alert with a descriptive error (for example, unsupported format version or missing environment name). Canceling the file dialog does nothing.

Export file format

HarborClient environment export files require harborclientExport: "environment" and harborclientVersion: 1. They contain the environment name and variables. Storage IDs are not included.

Example (abbreviated):

{
  "harborclientVersion": 1,
  "harborclientExport": "environment",
  "name": "Staging",
  "variables": [
    { "key": "baseUrl", "value": "https://staging.example.com", "defaultValue": "", "share": true }
  ]
}

Common validation errors:

Error	Cause
unsupported format version	harborclientVersion is not 1
not a HarborClient environment export	harborclientExport is not "environment"
environment name is required	Name is missing or blank