An environment defines the dependencies to install, the services to run, and a check that confirms the setup works. You build and publish it once, then reuse it for any session.
There is one environment per repository.
What an environment contains
- Dockerfile — starts from
indent/baseand installs your toolchain and dependencies. - Repositories — the repositories Indent clones during the build, each at a branch you choose.
- Environment variables — build-time and runtime values. Indent never sees their values.
- Background processes — the services that make up your stack, such as a web server, a database, and a cache. Indent starts each one when the computer boots and restarts it if it exits.
- Verification — goals in plain language, such as “the app builds” and “the UI loads,” and a script that checks them.
Create an environment
Open the environment wizard from Settings → GitHub Repositories — select Setup Environment on a repository — or from the environment dropdown within a session.
Set up
Name the environment, choose the repositories, and write the verification goals in plain language.
Configure
Tell Indent what the application needs. Indent writes the Dockerfile, declares the services, sets the variables, and turns your goals into a verification script.
Build
Indent builds the image and boots a computer. A first build can take several minutes.
Verify
Indent runs the verification script and, for anything with a UI, opens it in the browser to confirm.
Publish
When everything passes, publish the environment. New sessions can now start in it.
Indent rebuilds the environment when you push to the tracked branch.
Run verification yourself
Select Run verification at any point after a successful build to re-run the checks — while you’re getting the setup right, or later when you want to confirm the environment still works. If no computer is running, Indent boots one for the run.
The Verify step appears once there’s something to verify, and stays inactive until a build has succeeded.
Work in an environment
Select an environment from the dropdown when you start a new session. The session starts in that environment with your services already running. Without an environment, a session runs in a plain sandbox.
Test through the browser
Indent has a real web browser on its computer. Ask Indent to open your running application and click through a flow. Indent navigates your pages, fills in forms, and captures screenshots.
Secrets
When an environment needs a secret, such as an API key or a database password, Indent asks you to provide it through the app. Indent doesn’t see the secret value, only whether it’s available. See Permissions and data.
Connect the code Indent works in before you build an environment: Connecting GitHub.