diff --git a/mapchete/config.py b/mapchete/config.py
index 68e4ecb7..0fc6992c 100644
--- a/mapchete/config.py
+++ b/mapchete/config.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class OutputConfigBase(BaseModel):
     metatiling: Union[int, None] = 1
     pixelbuffer: Union[NonNegativeInt, None] = 0
 
-    @field_validator("metatiling", mode='before')
+    @field_validator("metatiling", mode="before")
     def _metatiling(cls, value: int) -> int:  # pragma: no cover
         _metatiling_opts = [2**x for x in range(10)]
         if value not in _metatiling_opts:
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ class PyramidConfig(BaseModel):
     metatiling: Union[int, None] = 1
     pixelbuffer: Union[NonNegativeInt, None] = 0
 
-    @field_validator("metatiling", mode='before')
+    @field_validator("metatiling", mode="before")
     def _metatiling(cls, value: int) -> int:  # pragma: no cover
         _metatiling_opts = [2**x for x in range(10)]
         if value not in _metatiling_opts:
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ class ProcessConfig(BaseModel, arbitrary_types_allowed=True):
     bounds: Union[Bounds, Tuple[float, float, float, float], None] = None
     bounds_crs: Union[dict, str, None] = None
     process_parameters: Union[dict, None] = None
-    mapchete_file: Union[str, MPath, None] = None
 
 
 _RESERVED_PARAMETERS = tuple(ProcessConfig.model_fields.keys())
diff --git a/mapchete/io/__init__.py b/mapchete/io/__init__.py
index 769d3e97..7f5cea93 100644
--- a/mapchete/io/__init__.py
+++ b/mapchete/io/__init__.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     tile_to_zoom_level,
 )
 from mapchete.io.raster import rasterio_open
-from mapchete.io.settings import GDAL_HTTP_OPTS
+from mapchete.io.settings import GDALHTTPOptions
 from mapchete.io.vector import fiona_open
 from mapchete.path import (
     MPath,
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 __all__ = [
     "copy",
     "fs_from_path",
-    "GDAL_HTTP_OPTS",
+    "GDALHTTPOptions",
     "get_best_zoom_level",
     "get_segmentize_value",
     "tile_to_zoom_level",
diff --git a/mapchete/io/raster.py b/mapchete/io/raster.py
index 30fde218..bbb715ff 100644
--- a/mapchete/io/raster.py
+++ b/mapchete/io/raster.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 from mapchete._timer import Timer
 from mapchete.errors import MapcheteIOError
 from mapchete.io import copy
-from mapchete.io.settings import MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_SETTINGS
+from mapchete.io.settings import IORetrySettings
 from mapchete.path import MPath, fs_from_path
 from mapchete.tile import BufferedTile
 from mapchete.validate import validate_write_window_params
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ def _get_warped_array(
         raise
 
 
-@retry(logger=logger, exceptions=RasterioIOError, **MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_SETTINGS)
+@retry(logger=logger, exceptions=RasterioIOError, **dict(IORetrySettings()))
 def _rasterio_read(
     input_file=None,
     indexes=None,
@@ -621,7 +621,7 @@ def read_raster_no_crs(input_file, indexes=None, gdal_opts=None):
     FileNotFoundError if file cannot be found.
     """
 
-    @retry(logger=logger, exceptions=RasterioIOError, **MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_SETTINGS)
+    @retry(logger=logger, exceptions=RasterioIOError, **dict(IORetrySettings()))
     def _read():
         with warnings.catch_warnings():
             warnings.simplefilter("ignore")
diff --git a/mapchete/io/settings.py b/mapchete/io/settings.py
index 4c175b2d..9825ca51 100644
--- a/mapchete/io/settings.py
+++ b/mapchete/io/settings.py
@@ -1,40 +1,38 @@
-import logging
-import os
+"""
+Combine default values with environment variable values.
+"""
 
-logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
-
-
-def _merge_gdal_defaults_with_env():
-    return {k: os.environ.get(k, v) for k, v in GDAL_HTTP_DEFAULTS.items()}
+from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, SettingsConfigDict
 
 
 # defaults sets according to the recommendations given at
 # https://developmentseed.org/titiler/advanced/performance_tuning/
-GDAL_HTTP_DEFAULTS = dict(
+class GDALHTTPOptions(BaseSettings):
     # this will be set later on depending on the opened file
-    CPL_VSIL_CURL_ALLOWED_EXTENSIONS="",
+    CPL_VSIL_CURL_ALLOWED_EXTENSIONS: str = ""
     # 200MB
-    CPL_VSIL_CURL_CACHE_SIZE=200_000_000,
+    CPL_VSIL_CURL_CACHE_SIZE: int = 200_000_000
     # alternative: ARRAY
-    GDAL_BAND_BLOCK_CACHE="HASHSET",
+    GDAL_BAND_BLOCK_CACHE: str = "HASHSET"
     # # 200MB
     # GDAL_CACHEMAX=200, --> activating this seems to let the tests stall at some point
     # don't make LIST request
-    GDAL_DISABLE_READDIR_ON_OPEN="EMPTY_DIR",
-    GDAL_HTTP_TIMEOUT=30,
-    GDAL_HTTP_MAX_RETRY=3,
-    GDAL_HTTP_MERGE_CONSECUTIVE_RANGES=True,
-    GDAL_HTTP_MULTIPLEX=True,
-    GDAL_HTTP_RETRY_DELAY=5,
-    GDAL_HTTP_VERSION=2,
+    GDAL_DISABLE_READDIR_ON_OPEN: str = "EMPTY_DIR"
+    GDAL_HTTP_TIMEOUT: int = 30
+    GDAL_HTTP_MAX_RETRY: int = 3
+    GDAL_HTTP_MERGE_CONSECUTIVE_RANGES: bool = True
+    GDAL_HTTP_MULTIPLEX: bool = True
+    GDAL_HTTP_RETRY_DELAY: int = 5
+    GDAL_HTTP_VERSION: int = 2
     # let GDAL cache internally
-    VSI_CACHE=True,
+    VSI_CACHE: bool = True
     # 5MB cache per file
-    VSI_CACHE_SIZE=5_000_000,
-)
-GDAL_HTTP_OPTS = _merge_gdal_defaults_with_env()
-MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_SETTINGS = {
-    "tries": int(os.environ.get("MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_TRIES", "3")),
-    "delay": float(os.environ.get("MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_DELAY", "1")),
-    "backoff": float(os.environ.get("MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_BACKOFF", "1")),
-}
+    VSI_CACHE_SIZE: int = 5_000_000
+    model_config = SettingsConfigDict()
+
+
+class IORetrySettings(BaseSettings):
+    tries: int = 3
+    delay: float = 1.0
+    backoff: float = 1.0
+    model_config = SettingsConfigDict(env_prefix="MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_")
diff --git a/mapchete/io/vector.py b/mapchete/io/vector.py
index c50cb375..e4885d1a 100644
--- a/mapchete/io/vector.py
+++ b/mapchete/io/vector.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     segmentize_geometry,
     to_shape,
 )
-from mapchete.io.settings import MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_SETTINGS
+from mapchete.io.settings import IORetrySettings
 from mapchete.path import MPath, fs_from_path, path_exists
 from mapchete.types import Bounds
 from mapchete.validate import validate_bounds
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ def __exit__(self, *args):
 @retry(
     logger=logger,
     exceptions=(DriverError, FionaError, FionaValueError),
-    **MAPCHETE_IO_RETRY_SETTINGS,
+    **dict(IORetrySettings()),
 )
 def _get_reprojected_features(
     inp=None,
diff --git a/mapchete/path.py b/mapchete/path.py
index a8b41373..3a074bfe 100644
--- a/mapchete/path.py
+++ b/mapchete/path.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 from rasterio.session import Session as RioSession
 
 from mapchete._executor import Executor
-from mapchete.io.settings import GDAL_HTTP_OPTS
+from mapchete.io.settings import GDALHTTPOptions
 from mapchete.tile import BufferedTile
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ def gdal_env_params(
 
         # for remote paths, we need some special settings
         if self.is_remote():
-            gdal_opts = GDAL_HTTP_OPTS.copy()
+            gdal_opts = dict(GDALHTTPOptions())
 
             # we cannot know at this point which file types the VRT or STACTA JSON
             # is pointing to, so in order to play safe, we remove the extensions constraint here
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 73dd1c57..52ffab56 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "numpy>=1.16",
     "oyaml",
     "pydantic>=2.3.0",
+    "pydantic_settings>=2.0.0",
     "pyproj",
     "python-dateutil",
     "rasterio>1.2.10",
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index a3145290..a4d37701 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ numpy>=1.16
 oyaml>=0.9
 pyproj
 pydantic>=2.3.0
+pydantic_settings>=2.0.0
 retry>=0.9.2
 rasterio>1.2.10
 s3fs<2023.9.0