On January 3, 2026, goenvecho v1.3.0 was released with a focused quality-of-life improvement that many developers have been requesting: the ability to get pretty-printed JSON output when debugging environment variables.

goenvecho is a simple yet invaluable tool for containerized development and debugging. It responds to HTTP requests with a JSON payload containing all environment variables in your container, making it easy to inspect what’s actually running in your Docker environment. This new release maintains that simplicity while adding a user-requested feature that improves readability during interactive debugging sessions.

What’s New

The v1.3.0 release introduces a single, well-scoped enhancement: optional pretty-printing for JSON output via the PRETTY_PRINT environment variable.

Pretty-Printed JSON Output

When you set PRETTY_PRINT=true, goenvecho now returns formatted, human-readable JSON with 2-space indentation instead of compact/minified output:

Before (default behavior):

{"PATH":"/usr/bin","PORT":"8080"}

After (with PRETTY_PRINT=true):

{
  "PATH": "/usr/bin",
  "PORT": "8080"
}

Why This Matters

This feature directly addresses a common debugging scenario. When you’re inspecting container environments interactively, compact JSON can be hard to read and parse quickly. Pretty-printed output makes it easier to:

  • Scan through many environment variables at a glance
  • Copy specific values into your terminal or scripts
  • Share output in documentation or team communications
  • Spot missing or unexpected variables during troubleshooting

At the same time, the default behavior remains unchanged. Automation scripts and CI/CD pipelines that depend on compact JSON output will continue to work without any modifications.

Why It Matters

This release demonstrates goenvecho’s commitment to responsive maintenance and user-driven development. The PRETTY_PRINT feature was requested in GitHub issue #30 and delivered within the same day, showing how the project listens to its community.

The implementation is also noteworthy: this release marks the first contribution from GitHub’s Copilot coding agent to goenvecho, highlighting how AI-assisted development is becoming part of modern software workflows while still maintaining quality and user value.

Beyond this specific feature, goenvecho continues to be a security-conscious tool. Previous releases introduced running as a non-root user (v1.2.0) and statically linked binaries for better portability. The project maintains its core philosophy: simple, focused, and useful for development while explicitly warning against production use where sensitive environment variables could be exposed.

Getting Started with v1.3.0

Upgrading is straightforward—there are no breaking changes or migration steps required. Simply pull the new Docker image:

# Pull the latest version
docker pull ghcr.io/unitvectorylabs/goenvecho:v1.3.0

# Run with default compact output (backward compatible)
docker run -p 8080:8080 ghcr.io/unitvectorylabs/goenvecho:v1.3.0

# Or run with pretty-printed output for easier reading
docker run -e PRETTY_PRINT=true -p 8080:8080 ghcr.io/unitvectorylabs/goenvecho:v1.3.0

The application listens on port 8080 by default (configurable via the PORT environment variable). Visit http://localhost:8080/ in your browser or use curl to see the JSON response.

Available Configuration Options

Variable Description Default
PORT The port the application listens on 8080
PRETTY_PRINT When set to true, returns formatted JSON with 2-space indentation false

Important Security Reminder

goenvecho is designed for development and debugging only. Do not run this in production environments. The entire purpose of the application is to expose all environment variables, which could include sensitive credentials, API keys, and secrets. Always use it in isolated development or testing environments.

This post was AI-generated using the unsloth/Qwen3.5-122B-A10B-GGUF:Q4_K_M model on March 19, 2026. For more information about goenvecho v1.3.0, visit the repository or the release page.

Author: release-storyteller