# Staging/Test server ignored the environment variable

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/staging-test-server-ignored-the-environment-variable/390085
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [December 1, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/staging-test-server-ignored-the-environment-variable/390085 "2025-12-01T18:48:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![jimmy0017](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@jimmy0017](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jimmy0017)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/staging-test-server-ignored-the-environment-variable/390085/1 "2025-12-01T18:48:21Z")

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I followed the following setup in my staging/test server in `web_only.yml`. But it seems that the backups are still going in the latest discourse? Seems that it is ignoring the environment variable.

```yaml
  ## Staging server specific settings
  DISCOURSE_AUTOMATIC_BACKUPS_ENABLED: false
  DISCOURSE_LOGIN_REQUIRED: true
  DISCOURSE_DISABLE_EMAILS: 'yes'
  DISCOURSE_S3_DISABLE_CLEANUP: true
  DISCOURSE_ALLOW_RESTORE: true

```

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### Author: ![RGJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/rgj/32/523185_2.png) [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2025, 7:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/staging-test-server-ignored-the-environment-variable/390085/2 "2025-12-01T19:09:38Z")

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The `automatic_backups_enabled` setting has been removed in August… 😭

[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/f8bf51441e71166a3995c5b03d0075e4c9556191](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/f8bf51441e71166a3995c5b03d0075e4c9556191)

Use `backup_frequency` (`DISCOURSE_BACKUP_FREQUENCY: 0`) instead to disable backups entirely.

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### Author: ![jimmy0017](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@jimmy0017](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jimmy0017)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/staging-test-server-ignored-the-environment-variable/390085/3 "2025-12-01T19:59:20Z")

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Thanks for the solution.

I also just updated the Wiki here:

> [@Set up a staging server](https://meta.discourse.org/t/set-up-a-staging-server/225951):
>
> There are several tricks that can help when you are setting up a staging server. What is a staging server? A staging server is essentially a clone of a production site. It also resides on a server, and functions identically. It runs inside a Docker container, just as a normal Discourse site does. It exists to give you a place to try risky things out, or to trial things that you cannot easily hide from your users. It is very useful for trialling adverts using the [Discourse Advertising Plugin (A…](https://meta.discourse.org/t/official-advertising-ad-plugin-for-discourse/33734)

It was still referring to the old method.

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### Author: ![system](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/system/32/443519_2.png) [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/staging-test-server-ignored-the-environment-variable/390085/4 "2025-12-31T19:59:51Z")

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