Environment Variables & CLI Reference

Supported environment variables, CLI parameters, and configuration priority for PxeLab.

Related: Config File Reference | Deployment

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CLI Parameters

pxelab [flags]

Flags:
  --config string       Config file path
  --data-dir string     Data directory (default "~/.pxelab/")
  --log-level string    Log level: debug/info/warn/error (default "info")
  --mode string         Run mode: app/server ("app" auto-opens browser)

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Configuration Priority

CLI parameters > Config file > Environment variables > Default values

Priority	Source	Description
1 (Highest)	--config / --data-dir CLI parameters	Explicitly specified on command line
2	config.yaml	Config file
3	Environment variables	System environment variables
4 (Lowest)	Built-in defaults	Hardcoded default values

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Common Environment Variables

PxeLab primarily manages settings via config file. These environment variables are available for special scenarios:

Environment Variable	Description	Default
PXELAB_DATA_DIR	Data directory path	~/.pxelab/
PXELAB_LOG_LEVEL	Log level	info
PXELAB_LISTEN_ADDR	HTTP listen address	:8080

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Data Directory Structure

~/.pxelab/
├── config.yaml          # Config file
├── pxelab.db            # SQLite database
├── boot/                # Boot files (iPXE, PXELinux, GRUB2 binaries)
│   ├── ipxe.efi
│   ├── undionly.kpxe
│   └── ...
├── netboot/             # Netboot catalog (distro index)
├── os-images/           # OS image storage
├── logs/                # Log files
│   └── pxelab.log
└── volumes/             # NFS mount point data