Redesign the environment variables

[stebberg]

As a user I would like to handle environment variables much easier and not to have duplicates.

This might needs to redesign the way most of today's rest clients use environment variables. We can split this into 2 parts.

1.) Problem: All environment variables should(?) most likely be used in every environment, right? So why do I need to re-add the variables in every environment? If I need a new variable in my project, then I need to copy paste the same variable (name) into every(!) environment.
Suggestion: Add all variables ONCE in the base environment - with or without a value. Now, in every sub-environment, you should not be able to add more variables - only set relevant VALUES to this pre-generated list of available variables (from the base).

2.) Problem: I need to have a lot of copies of the exact same environment variable in my environments. For instance if I have a STG environment, and in STG I have 3 servers (1 gateway and 2 front servers). In some cases I need to test the service through the gateway and sometimes I need to use the individual front1 or front2. They all share the same environment variables but with small differences, eg. the URL of course, some API keys or internal headers etc.
In this scenario I need to have 3 environments for my stage: STG, STG_Front1, STG_Front2. And they all have 95% the same values. When I change/add a variable I need to change it in 3 different places.
Suggestion: Continue the excellent work in Insomnia with a base+sub enviroment but make it possible to add unlimited environments in a tree structure where all environment inherits from the parent (and the top most environments inherit from base). The child overwrites any (grand)parent values.
In the scenario above, perhaps it will end up as:

| base
  | dev
  | stg
    | stg_front1
    | stg_front2
  | prd

So stg_front2 inherit from stg
and stg inherit from base.
In this way you will most likely only need to enter an evironment variable ONE time. And when a value changes, you only need to update 1 place.