# How to set variables for initial installation?

**URL:** <https://hub.mender.io/t/how-to-set-variables-for-initial-installation/1916>\
**Category:** General Discussions\
**Tags:** mender-server, new-install\
**Created:** [May 13, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/how-to-set-variables-for-initial-installation/1916 "2020-05-13T23:52:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bri](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/bri/32/627_2.png) [@bri](https://hub.mender.io/u/bri)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/how-to-set-variables-for-initial-installation/1916/1 "2020-05-13T23:52:33Z")

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Hi,

I have come to this step in the production installation:

```auto
API_GATEWAY_DOMAIN_NAME="mender.example.com" # NB! replace with your server's public domain name
STORAGE_PROXY_DOMAIN_NAME="$API_GATEWAY_DOMAIN_NAME" # change if you are hosting the Storage Proxy on a different domain name (not the default)

```

but the documentation does not seem to state where to set these variables. Where should I set these?

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**Author:** ![drewmoseley](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/drewmoseley/32/47_2.png) [@drewmoseley](https://hub.mender.io/u/drewmoseley)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/how-to-set-variables-for-initial-installation/1916/2 "2020-05-14T13:20:47Z")

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Hello @bri, welcome to Mender Hub.

These settings are actually environment variables set directly in your shell where you are configuring the server. They are then used by the rest of the commands in the instructions to modify the production/conf/prod.yml file.

Drew