DATABASEURL

DATABASEURL is an environment variable used to specify a database connection string for software applications. It is commonly written as DATABASE_URL, but variations such as DATABASEURL also appear. The variable provides a centralized source of configuration for database connectivity in deployment environments, enabling consistent behavior across development, testing, and production.

The value is typically a URI that encodes the database type, authentication credentials, host, port, database name, and optional parameters. Common forms include postgres://user:password@host:5432/dbname, mysql://user:password@host:3306/dbname, and sqlite:///absolute/path/to/db.sqlite3. Special characters in user or password usually require URL encoding. Some ecosystems also accept variations like postgresql:// for Postgres. The software or library reading the URL parses it to create a database connection or connection pool.

Usage: At application startup, code reads the DATABASE_URL variable and uses it to configure the database client or ORM. Platforms such as Heroku and various cloud services populate DATABASE_URL automatically from provisioned database services. In multi-database environments, additional variables or application logic may be used to distinguish between connections.

Security and management: Because the value can include credentials, access should be restricted and the value should not be logged or exposed in error messages. Best practices include rotating credentials, enabling TLS/SSL where available, and avoiding hard-coded credentials in source code. If DATABASE_URL is unavailable, applications may rely on alternative configuration methods that separate host, user, and database details.