Environments and branch deploys

Keep test events and runs out of production by using separate environments. Each environment has its own apps, functions, event history, and credentials.

Pick the right environment

• Production runs live traffic.
• Custom environments support shared staging, QA, or canary work.
• Branch deploys give preview deployments for code branches their own isolated work. They are deployment previews, not Inngest Sandboxes microVMs.
• Local development uses the Dev Server on your machine.

A single environment can contain several apps. Select the environment in the dashboard before inspecting its apps, events, or runs.

What environments share and isolate

• Data stays inside its environment. Two environments can have event types or functions with the same name, but their data and logs stay separate.
• Each environment has its own event keys and signing keys. Use them to send events to that environment and sync apps with it.
• You can sync several apps with each environment.
• Usage counts toward your bill in every environment except local development.

Use branch deploys for preview deployments

Branch deploys give each non-production Git branch its own isolated sandbox. They work with hosts that create a preview deployment per branch, such as Vercel or Netlify. A typical workflow runs from local development, to a branch deploy for each preview, to production.

Inngest creates a branch deploy on demand, the first time you send events to it or sync functions with it. You do not need to create one in the dashboard.

Configure a branch deploy

Set the app's environment from the current branch, using INNGEST_ENV or the SDK client's env option. Supported hosts may detect the branch automatically. For a host that exposes a branch variable only at build time, pass that variable explicitly. Use the same branch value when sending events so the events reach the matching branch deploy.

All branch deploys share the same event key and signing key. Set these once for every preview deployment, then set the environment from the branch:

const inngest = new Inngest({
  id: "my-app",
  env: process.env.BRANCH,
});
// Alternatively, you can set the INNGEST_ENV environment variable in your app

// Pass the client to the serve handler to complete the setup
serve({ client: inngest, functions: [myFirstFunction, mySecondFunction] });

INNGEST_ENV or an explicit env option always overrides automatic detection.

Hosts the SDK detects automatically

On these hosts the SDK reads the branch and sets env for you:

• Vercel uses VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_REF. This works with the Inngest Vercel integration.

Hosts that need an explicit branch variable

Some hosts expose the branch only at build time. On these, set env to the host's branch variable, as in the example above:

• Netlify uses BRANCH (Netlify docs).
• Cloudflare Pages uses CF_PAGES_BRANCH (Cloudflare docs).
• Railway uses RAILWAY_GIT_BRANCH (Railway docs).
• Render uses RENDER_GIT_BRANCH (Render docs).

For other hosts, see the platform guides.

Send events to a branch deploy

Branch deploys share an event key, so you only need to set env in the SDK. The SDK's send() method then routes events to the matching branch deploy.

If you send events without an SDK, add the x-inngest-env header to the request with the branch name, for example x-inngest-env: feature/my-branch. See the send() reference for more on sending events.

Archive branch deploys

Branch deploys archive three days after their latest deployment. Each deployment pushes the archive date back another three days. Archiving stops functions from triggering and does not delete their data.

To turn off auto-archive for a branch deploy, use its toggle on the environments page. You can also archive or unarchive a branch deploy there at any time.

Turn off branch deploys on Vercel

To stop creating branch deploys from Vercel previews, delete the "Preview" Inngest environment variables in your Vercel project settings.

Create a custom environment

Use a custom environment for a shared non-production stage such as staging, QA, or canary. Create one from the environments page, or go straight to Create environment.

• Each custom environment has its own keys, event history, and functions.
• Deploy several apps to one environment to mirror production.
• Create as many environments as you need.
• Custom environments run at a lower priority than production, so latency may be higher.

To pair an Inngest custom environment with a Vercel custom environment, see Setting up a staging environment.

Switch environments in the dashboard

Use the environment switcher in the dashboard's top navigation to move between environments. Choose View All Environments to see every environment at once.