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This quickstart uses the actual shipped workflow:
  1. Install and log into the CLI.
  2. Add a barekey.json file.
  3. Create a variable.
  4. Read it with @barekey/sdk/server.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ or Bun
  • a Barekey account

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1. Install the CLI

npm install -g @barekey/cli
Log in: 
barekey auth login
Check the session: 
barekey auth whoami

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2. Add barekey.json

Create a barekey.json file in your project root: 
{
  "organization": "acme",
  "project": "web",
  "environment": "development"
}
Barekey also accepts the aliases org and stage, but the canonical keys are:
  • organization
  • project
  • environment
Once this file exists, most CLI commands and SDK clients can resolve the target automatically.

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3. Create a variable

Create a variable with an initial value: 
barekey env new DATABASE_URL "postgres://localhost:5432/app" --type string
Read it back: 
barekey env get DATABASE_URL
Update it later with env set: 
barekey env set DATABASE_URL "postgres://localhost:5432/app_v2"

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4. Install the SDK

npm install @barekey/sdk

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5. Read the variable in code

Create a shared client: 
import { BarekeyClient } from "@barekey/sdk/server";

export const barekey = new BarekeyClient();
Because barekey.json is present, the client can resolve:
  • organization
  • project
  • environment
And because you already logged in with the CLI, the SDK can reuse the local CLI session for auth during local development. Read your variable: 
import { barekey } from "./barekey";

const databaseUrl = await barekey.get("DATABASE_URL");
console.log(databaseUrl);
await barekey.get("DATABASE_URL") returns the parsed value for the variable’s declared type. If you want metadata too, use inspect(): 
const result = await barekey.get("DATABASE_URL").inspect();

console.log(result.value);
console.log(result.rawValue);
console.log(result.kind);
console.log(result.visibility);

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6. Generate SDK types

Run: 
barekey typegen
This updates generated types inside your installed @barekey/sdk package so known keys become typed in your editor. In development, you can keep it fresh: 
barekey typegen --watch

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7. Optional: pull to .env.local

If your local workflow still expects a dotenv file: 
barekey env pull --out .env.local
Or JSON: 
barekey env pull --format json --out barekey.local.json
Pulled files contain plaintext values. Add them to .gitignore.

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What next

SDK guide

Full server SDK, public SDK, standalone mode, typegen, and config reference.

CLI guide

Full command reference with flags, examples, and output formats.

Local development

barekey.json, .env pull workflows, and standalone local reads.

Variable kinds

Understand secret and ab_roll.