Enterprise use case and Environmental variables

[bfield308]

Currently users are not able to configure Vulcan environments as dynamic or at scale like Heimdall server (re: https://github.com/mitre/heimdall2/wiki/Environment-Variables-Configuration). This functionality would make it much easier to utilize a larger-scale implementation of Vulcan. This would also make it easier to perform updates to the running instances and administration of users, data bases, updating STIG's, SRG's, etc.

[rlakey]

@bfield308 It would be good to split up separate asks into different issues so they are easier to address.

Have you see the available environmental variables here? https://github.com/mitre/vulcan/wiki/Configuring-Vulcan

[bfield308]

@rlakey - first, seperated the issues.

Second, the configurations at https://github.com/mitre/vulcan/wiki/Configuring-Vulcan were reviewed before the issue was created. Compare them to to the ease of Heimdall's ability to change default administrator and set up the database parameters.

[aaronlippold]

🔄 Partially Addressed - Environment Variables Documentation Enhanced

We've significantly improved environment variable configuration and documentation which addresses some of the concerns raised in this issue:

Recent Improvements

✅ Enhanced ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md - Comprehensive documentation of all configuration options
✅ OIDC Configuration - Detailed setup instructions for enterprise authentication
✅ Production Best Practices - Docker Compose configurations for scalable deployments
✅ Security Settings - Proper environment variable handling and security considerations

Documentation Now Available

• ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md: Complete reference for all environment variables
• Docker configurations: Both development and production-ready setups
• OIDC integration: Enterprise authentication setup guide
• Configuration validation: Startup checks to catch misconfigurations early

What Still Needs Work

While we've improved documentation and configuration options, the request for Heimdall2-style dynamic configuration at scale still requires:

• Runtime configuration updates without restarts
• Admin UI for configuration management
• Bulk operations for STIGs/SRGs updates
• Multi-tenant configuration management

Current State

• ✅ Better documented - All environment variables and options are now clearly documented
• ✅ Production ready - Proper Docker configurations for enterprise deployment
• ⚠️ Partially scalable - Still requires restart for configuration changes
• ❌ No admin UI - Configuration still requires environment variable changes

This enhancement has improved the situation significantly for initial deployment and documentation, but full dynamic/at-scale configuration management would require additional development work.

[aaronlippold]

🚀 Implementation Plan Created

Thank you for this valuable feedback! After researching enterprise Rails configuration patterns and comparing to Heimdall2's capabilities, I've created a comprehensive implementation plan:

📋 See Issue #673: Implement Enterprise Runtime Configuration Management

Summary of the Plan

Technology Stack (Battle-tested Rails gems)

• rails-settings-cached: Database-backed configuration with automatic caching
• ActiveAdmin: Complete admin interface framework (used by thousands of Rails apps)
• Flipper: Feature flags and A/B testing capabilities
• Flipper-UI: Web interface for runtime feature management

Timeline: 8-12 hours across 2-3 sprints

This would give Vulcan enterprise-grade runtime configuration comparable to Heimdall2, using proven Rails patterns instead of custom development.

Capabilities Delivered

✅ Zero-restart configuration changes
✅ Web-based administrative interface
✅ Bulk user management operations
✅ STIG/SRG bulk import capabilities
✅ Feature flags for safe deployments
✅ Audit trails for all changes

Security Approach

• 🔒 Security-critical settings remain environment variables (DB connections, secrets)
• ✅ Administrative settings move to database-backed (UI text, timeouts, permissions)
• ✅ Full audit logging for configuration changes

Dependencies

This enhancement is blocked by infrastructure upgrades:

1. Issue Heroku-20 Stack EOL + Webpacker Compatibility Blocking All Deployments #670: Heroku-20 EOL + Webpacker migration (urgent)
2. Issue Ruby and NodeJS need updating to current 3.x and NodeJS 20+  #638: Ruby 3.2+ upgrade (required for gem compatibility)

Once those are resolved, this implementation would provide the dynamic administration capabilities you requested, matching the ease-of-use you've experienced with Heimdall2.

Priority: Medium (scheduled after infrastructure modernization)
Estimated Effort: 8-12 hours of development time