# What is env LANG?

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-env-lang/135382
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [December 8, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-env-lang/135382 "2019-12-08T07:56:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Alex\_P](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/alex_p/32/163548_2.png) [@Alex\_P](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Alex_P)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-env-lang/135382/1 "2019-12-08T07:56:09Z")

</div>

By default there is

```plaintext
env:
  LANG: en_US.UTF-8

```

in `app.yml`.  
Do I need to change it if I set `DISCOURSE_DEFAULT_LOCALE: ru`? What it is used for?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-env-lang/135382/2 "2019-12-10T17:02:03Z")

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I think that you want not to change that but to change it in the site settings instead.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Alex\_P](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/alex_p/32/163548_2.png) [@Alex\_P](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Alex_P)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-env-lang/135382/3 "2019-12-10T17:36:55Z")

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I think it’s available only in `app.yml`. In the settings there is only default locale which is the same as `DISCOURSE_DEFAULT_LOCALE`.

I am just wondering what’s the purpose of `LANG`.