> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://archie.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Project-level backend settings — API keys, environment variables, and network rules for CORS and rate limiting.

Settings holds the project-level configuration for your backend: who can call your APIs, which values your app reads at runtime, and how incoming traffic is handled. Open it from **Settings** in the Backend Console sidebar.

## What's in Settings

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="API Keys" icon="key" href="/docs/backend/settings/api-keys">
    Create, scope, and rotate keys that let external apps, scripts, and tools call your API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Environment variables" icon="brackets-curly" href="/docs/features/backend/settings/environment-variables">
    Store configuration values your app reads at runtime instead of hard-coding them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Network" icon="network-wired" href="/docs/features/backend/settings/network">
    Control which origins can call your API (CORS) and how traffic is rate-limited.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Settings and environments

Settings are tied to your [environments](/docs/backend/environments). Before you change anything, check which environment is active in the environment switcher.

* **API keys** belong to one environment. A key created in staging does not work in production.
* **Environment variables** can be scoped per environment, so production-only secrets stay out of development.
* **Network** settings are project-wide defaults, scoped per environment.

## Related pages

* [Role-Based Access](/docs/backend/app-services/role-based-access) — an API key gets its permissions from the roles you assign to it.
* [Custom APIs](/docs/backend/app-services/custom-apis) — override CORS and rate limits for a single route.
* [Integrations](/docs/backend/integrations) — the better place for third-party credentials like Stripe or SendGrid keys.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I use the same API key in every environment?">
    No. Each environment has its own set of keys. Create a separate key in each environment that needs one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I put integration credentials in environment variables?">
    Use [Integrations](/docs/backend/integrations) for credentials like Stripe or SendGrid keys. Integrations handle rotation and isolation better than raw environment variables.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I set different CORS rules for one endpoint?">
    Yes. Network settings are the defaults for the whole project. To change the rules for one route, configure it in [Custom APIs](/docs/backend/app-services/custom-apis).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>