[Home](./index.md) > [ibm-cloud-sdk-core](./ibm-cloud-sdk-core.md) > [readExternalSources](./ibm-cloud-sdk-core.readexternalsources.md) ## readExternalSources() function Read properties stored in external sources like Environment Variables, the credentials file, VCAP services, etc. and return them as an object. The keys of this object will have the service name prefix removed and will be converted to lower camel case. Only one source will be used at a time. **Signature:** ```typescript export declare function readExternalSources(serviceName: string): any; ``` ## Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
serviceName	string	the service name prefix

**Returns:** any