How do I set environment variables from Java?

(Is it because this is Java and therefore I shouldn't be doing evil nonportable obsolete things like touching my environment?)

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

A possible way to ease the burden would be to factor out a method

void setUpEnvironment(ProcessBuilder builder) {
    Map<String, String> env = builder.environment();
    // blah blah
}

and pass any ProcessBuilders through it before starting them.

Also, you probably already know this, but you can start more than one process with the same ProcessBuilder. So if your subprocesses are the same, you don't need to do this setup over and over.

public static void set(Map<String, String> newenv) throws Exception {
    Class[] classes = Collections.class.getDeclaredClasses();
    Map<String, String> env = System.getenv();
    for(Class cl : classes) {
        if("java.util.Collections$UnmodifiableMap".equals(cl.getName())) {
            Field field = cl.getDeclaredField("m");
            field.setAccessible(true);
            Object obj = field.get(env);
            Map<String, String> map = (Map<String, String>) obj;
            map.clear();
            map.putAll(newenv);
        }
    }
}

Or to add/update a single var and removing the loop as per thejoshwolfe's suggestion.

@SuppressWarnings({ "unchecked" })
  public static void updateEnv(String name, String val) throws ReflectiveOperationException {
    Map<String, String> env = System.getenv();
    Field field = env.getClass().getDeclaredField("m");
    field.setAccessible(true);
    ((Map<String, String>) field.get(env)).put(name, val);
  }

// this is a dirty hack - but should be ok for a unittest.
private void setNewEnvironmentHack(Map<String, String> newenv) throws Exception
{
  Class<?> processEnvironmentClass = Class.forName("java.lang.ProcessEnvironment");
  Field theEnvironmentField = processEnvironmentClass.getDeclaredField("theEnvironment");
  theEnvironmentField.setAccessible(true);
  Map<String, String> env = (Map<String, String>) theEnvironmentField.get(null);
  env.clear();
  env.putAll(newenv);
  Field theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField = processEnvironmentClass.getDeclaredField("theCaseInsensitiveEnvironment");
  theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField.setAccessible(true);
  Map<String, String> cienv = (Map<String, String>) theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField.get(null);
  cienv.clear();
  cienv.putAll(newenv);
}

There are a three libraries out there that can do this during unit tests.

There's Stefan Birkner's System Rules and System Lambda - https://www.baeldung.com/java-system-rules-junit which allow you to do something like:

public class JUnitTest {

    @Rule
    public EnvironmentVariables environmentVariables = new EnvironmentVariables();

    @Test
    public void someTest() {
        environmentVariables.set("SOME_VARIABLE", "myValue");
        
        // now System.getenv does what you want
    }
}

or for System-Lambda:

@Test
void execute_code_with_environment_variables(
) throws Exception {
  List<String> values = withEnvironmentVariable("first", "first value")
    .and("second", "second value")
    .execute(() -> asList(
      System.getenv("first"),
      System.getenv("second")
    ));
  assertEquals(
    asList("first value", "second value"),
    values
  );
}

The above features are also available as JUnit 5 extension via System Stubs:

@ExtendWith(SystemStubsExtension.class)
class SomeTest {

    @SystemStub
    private EnvironmentVariables;

    @Test
    void theTest() {
        environmentVariables.set("SOME_VARIABLE", "myValue");
        
        // now System.getenv does what you want

    }

}

System Stubs is backwards compatible with System Lambda and System Rules, but supports JUnit 5.

Alternatively, there's also JUnit Pioneer - https://github.com/junit-pioneer/junit-pioneer, which allows for environment variables to be set at test time via annotations.

Poking around online, it looks like it might be possible to do this with JNI. You'd then have to make a call to putenv() from C, and you'd (presumably) have to do it in a way that worked on both Windows and UNIX.

If all that can be done, it surely wouldn't be too hard for Java itself to support this instead of putting me in a straight jacket.

A Perl-speaking friend elsewhere suggests that this is because environment variables are process global and Java is striving for good isolation for good design.

Setting the environment variables in the current Java process which uses native code (a dll) which relies on the environment variable in question, only works when you set this environment variable natively.

Most of the examples here you are changing the maps in the JVM, but will not work native.

One way I saw is through JNI, which probably works as well. Another way is using JNA Platform by using the Kernel32 interface (windows only) For example:

private static void setEnv(String key, String value) {
    if(isWindows()) {
        if (!Kernel32.INSTANCE.SetEnvironmentVariable(key, value)) {
            System.err.println("Unable to set the environemnt variable: " + key);
        }
    }
}

For a unix like OS, the LibCAPI interface can be used, but have not tried that one.

Tim Ryan's answer worked for me... but I wanted it for Groovy (Spock context for example), and simplissimo:

import java.lang.reflect.Field

def getModifiableEnvironmentMap() {
    def unmodifiableEnv = System.getenv()
    Class cl = unmodifiableEnv.getClass()
    Field field = cl.getDeclaredField("m")
    field.accessible = true
    field.get(unmodifiableEnv)
}

def clearEnvironmentVars( def keys ) {
    def savedVals = [:]
    keys.each{ key ->
        String val = modifiableEnvironmentMap.remove(key)
        // thinking about it, I'm not sure why we need this test for null
        // but haven't yet done any experiments
        if( val != null ) {
            savedVals.put( key, val )
        }
    }
    savedVals
}

def setEnvironmentVars(Map varMap) {
    modifiableEnvironmentMap.putAll(varMap)
}

// pretend existing Env Var doesn't exist
def PATHVal1 = System.env.PATH
println "PATH val1 |$PATHVal1|"
String[] keys = ["PATH", "key2", "key3"]
def savedVars = clearEnvironmentVars(keys)
def PATHVal2 = System.env.PATH
println "PATH val2 |$PATHVal2|"

// return to reality
setEnvironmentVars(savedVars)
def PATHVal3 = System.env.PATH
println "PATH val3 |$PATHVal3|"
println "System.env |$System.env|"

// pretend a non-existent Env Var exists
setEnvironmentVars( [ 'key4' : 'key4Val' ])
println "key4 val |$System.env.key4|"

just use reflect, like setEnv("k1","v1")

    private void setEnv(String key, String val) throws Exception {
        getModifiableEnv().put(key, val);
    }
    
    private Map<String, String> getModifiableEnv() throws Exception {
        Map<String, String> unmodifiableEnv = System.getenv();
        Field field = unmodifiableEnv.getClass().getDeclaredField("m");
        field.setAccessible(true);
        return (Map<String, String>) field.get(unmodifiableEnv);
    }

need

import java.lang.reflect.Field;
import java.util.Map;

If you are facing this problem with testing like me, and you are using Junit5, Junit-pioneer comes with very helpful annotations. maven release

example:

@Test
@SetEnvironmentVariable(key = "some variable",value = "new value")
void test() {
    assertThat(System.getenv("some variable")).
        isEqualTo("new value");
}

can not recommend it enough.

This is the Kotlin evil version of the @pushy's evil answer =)

@Suppress("UNCHECKED_CAST")
@Throws(Exception::class)
fun setEnv(newenv: Map<String, String>) {
    try {
        val processEnvironmentClass = Class.forName("java.lang.ProcessEnvironment")
        val theEnvironmentField = processEnvironmentClass.getDeclaredField("theEnvironment")
        theEnvironmentField.isAccessible = true
        val env = theEnvironmentField.get(null) as MutableMap<String, String>
        env.putAll(newenv)
        val theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField = processEnvironmentClass.getDeclaredField("theCaseInsensitiveEnvironment")
        theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField.isAccessible = true
        val cienv = theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField.get(null) as MutableMap<String, String>
        cienv.putAll(newenv)
    } catch (e: NoSuchFieldException) {
        val classes = Collections::class.java.getDeclaredClasses()
        val env = System.getenv()
        for (cl in classes) {
            if ("java.util.Collections\$UnmodifiableMap" == cl.getName()) {
                val field = cl.getDeclaredField("m")
                field.setAccessible(true)
                val obj = field.get(env)
                val map = obj as MutableMap<String, String>
                map.clear()
                map.putAll(newenv)
            }
        }
    }

It is working in macOS Mojave at least.

I stumbled upon this thread as I had a similar requirement where I needed to set (or update) an Environment Variable (permanently).

So I looked in to - How to set an environment variable permanently from Command Prompt and it was very simple!

setx JAVA_LOC C:/Java/JDK

Then I just implemented the same in my code Here's what I used (suppose - JAVA_LOC is the env. variable name)

        String cmdCommand = "setx JAVA_LOC " + "C:/Java/JDK";
            ProcessBuilder processBuilder = new ProcessBuilder();
            processBuilder.command("cmd.exe", "/c", cmdCommand);
            processBuilder.start();

ProcessBuilder fires-up a cmd.exe and passes the command that you want. The environment variable is retained even if you kill JVM/reboot the system as it has no relation with the JVM/Program's lifecycle.

jython variant based on @pushy's answer, works on windows.

def set_env(newenv):
    from java.lang import Class
    process_environment = Class.forName("java.lang.ProcessEnvironment")
    environment_field =  process_environment.getDeclaredField("theEnvironment")
    environment_field.setAccessible(True)
    env = environment_field.get(None)
    env.putAll(newenv)
    invariant_environment_field = process_environment.getDeclaredField("theCaseInsensitiveEnvironment");
    invariant_environment_field.setAccessible(True)
    invevn = invariant_environment_field.get(None)
    invevn.putAll(newenv)

Usage:

old_environ = dict(os.environ)
old_environ['EPM_ORACLE_HOME'] = r"E:\Oracle\Middleware\EPMSystem11R1"
set_env(old_environ)

A version in Kotlin, in this algorithm I created a decorator that allows you to set and get variables from the environment.

import java.util.Collections
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
​
class EnvironmentDelegate {
    operator fun getValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>): String {
        return System.getenv(property.name) ?: "-"
    }
​
    operator fun setValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>, value: String) {
        val key = property.name
​
        val classes: Array<Class<*>> = Collections::class.java.declaredClasses
        val env = System.getenv()
​
        val cl = classes.first { "java.util.Collections\$UnmodifiableMap" == it.name }
​
        val field = cl.getDeclaredField("m")
        field.isAccessible = true
        val obj = field[env]
        val map = obj as MutableMap<String, String>
        map.putAll(mapOf(key to value))
    }
}
​
class KnownProperties {
    var JAVA_HOME: String by EnvironmentDelegate()
    var sample: String by EnvironmentDelegate()
}
​
fun main() {
    val knowProps = KnownProperties()
    knowProps.sample = "2"
​
    println("Java Home: ${knowProps.JAVA_HOME}")
    println("Sample: ${knowProps.sample}")
}

Kotlin implementation I recently made based on Edward's answer:

fun setEnv(newEnv: Map<String, String>) {
    val unmodifiableMapClass = Collections.unmodifiableMap<Any, Any>(mapOf()).javaClass
    with(unmodifiableMapClass.getDeclaredField("m")) {
        isAccessible = true
        @Suppress("UNCHECKED_CAST")
        get(System.getenv()) as MutableMap<String, String>
    }.apply {
        clear()
        putAll(newEnv)
    }
}

If you work with SpringBoot you can add specifying the environmental variable in the following property:

was.app.config.properties.toSystemProperties

You can pass parameters into your initial java process with -D:

java -cp <classpath> -Dkey1=value -Dkey2=value ...