---
title: Specifying database credentials when you start the GUI
description: You can override database credentials for the admin account and application account in the configuration.yml file when you start the GUI by using the UNIX environment variables PING_DB_ADMIN_USER, PING_DB_ADMIN_PASSWORD, PING_DB_APP_USER, and PING_DB_APP_PASSWORD.
component: pingauthorize
version: 11.0
page_id: pingauthorize:pingauthorize_server_administration_guide:paz_specify_db_creds_start_gui
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingauthorize/11.0/pingauthorize_server_administration_guide/paz_specify_db_creds_start_gui.html
revdate: May 22, 2024
section_ids:
  about-this-task: About this task
  steps: Steps
  example: Example
---

# Specifying database credentials when you start the GUI

You can override database credentials for the admin account and application account in the `configuration.yml` file when you start the GUI by using the UNIX environment variables `PING_DB_ADMIN_USER`, `PING_DB_ADMIN_PASSWORD`, `PING_DB_APP_USER`, and `PING_DB_APP_PASSWORD`.

## About this task

For more information about these and other UNIX environment variables you can use to override configuration settings, see [Starting PingAuthorize Policy Editor](paz_start_pe.html).

## Steps

1. Stop the Policy Editor.

   ```
   bin/stop-server
   ```

2. Set the environment variables and start the Policy Editor.

## Example

The following example starts the server with the overridden policy database admin credentials `adminuser`/ `Passw0rd` and the overridden policy database application credentials `app`/ `S3cret`. These environment variables override any values in `configuration.yml`.

```
env PING_DB_ADMIN_USERNAME=adminuser \
  PING_DB_ADMIN_PASSWORD=Passw0rd \
  PING_DB_APP_USER=app \
  PING_DB_APP_PASSWORD=S3cret \
  bin/start-server
```