Variables
Variables make templates flexible and reusable. They allow you to inject dynamic values into container specifications and volume definitions at runtime.
Variable Types
System Variables Automatically provided by knot. Include user information, space details, and server configuration.
User-Defined Variables Created by administrators in the web interface. Shared across templates for common configuration values.
Custom Variables Defined in templates. Users provide values when creating spaces for per-space customization.
Variable Syntax
Variables use Go template syntax:
${{ .group.name }}Examples:
${{ .user.username }}- Current user’s username${{ .space.name }}- Space name${{ .var.registry_url }}- User-defined variable${{ .custom.branch }}- Custom variable
Common Use Cases
Dynamic Container Names
container_name: ${{ .user.username }}-${{ .space.name }}
hostname: ${{ .space.name }}Creates unique container names like john-myproject.
User Home Directories
volumes:
- home:/home/${{ .user.username }}Mounts volumes to user-specific paths.
Environment Configuration
environment:
- "TZ=${{ .user.timezone }}"
- "USER=${{ .user.username }}"
- "KNOT_SERVER=${{ .server.url }}"Configures containers with user and server details.
Registry Authentication
auth {
username = "${{ .var.registry_user }}"
password = "${{ .var.registry_pass }}"
}Uses user-defined variables for credentials.
Per-Space Configuration
environment:
- "GIT_BRANCH=${{ .custom.branch }}"
- "API_KEY=${{ .custom.api_key }}"Allows users to customize each space.