Environment Variables
Last modified on June 16, 2025
The StrongDM command line recognizes environment variables to control and modify its functionality. This document details the available environment variables and their function.
Environment variables can be set on a StrongDM systemd service by adding to the environment file:
- For service accounts, it is usually located at
/etc/sysconfig/sdm. - For gateways and relays, it is usually located at
/etc/sysconfig/sdm-proxy. - For bridge and proxy workers, it is usually located at
/etc/sysconfig/sdm-worker.
| Name | Format | Function |
|---|---|---|
| SDM_APP_DOMAIN | app.strongdm.com | Address of the control plane. |
| SDM_ADMIN_TOKEN | <JWT_TOKEN> | An admin token or service account token to use for sdm authentication; if set, this token is used by StrongDM and there is no need to log in via the CLI or desktop app |
| SDM_EMAIL | SDM_EMAIL=email-address-value@example.com | If set, the specified email address is used automatically when using the sdm login command in the CLI |
| SDM_FALLBACK_DNS | <DNS_ADDRESS>:<PORT> | DNS address to use as a fallback if a call to app.strongdm.com fails; defaults to 1.1.1.1:53 and can be set to 0 to disable fallback |
| SDM_HOME | /path/to/home | The location where sdm places its logs and keys; defaults to ~/.sdm; must be writable by the user running sdm |
| SDM_HTTP_PROXY | http://example.example.com:8080 | The HTTP proxy URL to use in corporate environments where outbound traffic must pass through a proxy |
| SDM_HTTPS_PROXY | https://example.example.com:8080 | The HTTPS proxy URL to use in corporate environments where outbound traffic must pass through a proxy |
| SDM_VERBOSE | true|false | If set, log verbosity is set to high for troubleshooting purposes |
| SDM_DISABLE_UPDATE | true|false | If set to true, disables auto-updates. |
| SDM_DOCKERIZED | truefalsestderr | If true, logs go to STDOUT rather than sdm.log for Docker or Kubernetes deployments or for troubleshooting purposes; if stderr, logs go to STDERR |
Variables Only for Gateways, Relays, and Proxy Clusters
The following variables are only for use with gateways, relays, proxy workers, and bridge workers.
| Name | Format | Function |
|---|---|---|
| SDM_HOSTNAME_CURL_ADDRESS | URI | If set within the StrongDM Gateway AMI in the userdata field at instance launch, the gateway reaches out to the specified address to determine its public hostname instead of the default AWS address |
| SDM_MAINTENANCE_WINDOW_START | integer | If set, schedules the hour of the day (0 to 23 UTC) when gateways and relays can terminate connections and restart (default: 7) |
| SDM_METRICS_LISTEN_ADDRESS | :port | If set in the gateway or relay’s environment on port 9999, enables the gateway or relay to listen for metrics on the specified port |
| SDM_ORCHESTRATOR_PROBES | :port | If set, enables the http://<GATEWAY OR RELAY IP>:port/liveness URL to check whether the gateway or relay is in good health |
| SDM_RELAY_LOG_ENCRYPTION | plaintextpubkey:///pubkeyfullpath/file.pem | Overrides relay log encryption settings configured in the Admin UI |
| SDM_RELAY_LOG_FORMAT | csvjson | Overrides relay log format settings configured in the Admin UI |
| SDM_RELAY_LOG_STORAGE | stdoutfilenonetcp://host:portsocket:///fullpath/syslog://host:port | Overrides relay log storage settings configured in the Admin UI |
Variables Only for Gateways and Relays
| Name | Format | Function |
|---|---|---|
| SDM_RELAY_TOKEN | <JWT_TOKEN> | A gateway or relay token to use when invoking the sdm binary; normally not needed as this is entered when installing the gateway or relay |
Variables Only for Proxy Clusters
| Name | Format | Function |
|---|---|---|
| SDM_PROXY_CLUSTER_ACCESS_KEY | pk-xxxxx | ID of the proxy cluster key used to authenticate to the control plane |
| SDM_PROXY_CLUSTER_SECRET_KEY | (base64) | Secret portion of the proxy cluster key used to authenticate to the control plane |
| SDM_BRIDGE | local or example.com:port | When set to local, instructs the worker to run as a bridge worker; when set to an address, instructs the worker to connect to a bridge at that address |