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Environment variables are used to configure your SnailyCAD instance. These should be set in your .env file in the root directory of your installation.

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Required Variables

These variables must be configured for SnailyCAD to function properly.

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Database Configuration

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POSTGRES_PASSWORD
string
required
The password for your PostgreSQL database.
POSTGRES_PASSWORD="postgres"
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POSTGRES_USER
string
required
The username for your PostgreSQL database.
POSTGRES_USER="postgres"
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POSTGRES_DB
string
required
The database name for your SnailyCAD installation.
POSTGRES_DB="snaily-cad-v4"
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DB_HOST
string
required
The database host address.
  • Docker install: "postgres"
  • Standalone install: "localhost" (or another IP)
DB_HOST="localhost"
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DB_PORT
string
required
The database port.
  • Docker install: "5432"
  • Standalone install: port to your PostgreSQL DB (default: "5432")
DB_PORT="5432"
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DATABASE_URL
string
required
The complete database connection URL. This is automatically constructed from other database variables.
Do not change this unless you know what you’re doing!
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@${DB_HOST}:${DB_PORT}/${POSTGRES_DB}?sslmode=prefer

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Security Configuration

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JWT_SECRET
string
required
A random string of characters used to keep the CAD’s cookies secured.
Make sure to change this to a random, secure value!
JWT_SECRET="some-random-string-of-characters"
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ENCRYPTION_TOKEN
string
required
A string of 32 characters long used for encryption. Generate one at CodeBeautify.
Must be exactly 32 characters long!
ENCRYPTION_TOKEN="Geu2WGypP7irbwa3tCeeKS6YiyluFLep"

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URL Configuration

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CORS_ORIGIN_URL
string
required
The URL/IP to your site where the CAD is hosted. This is used for CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) configuration.Examples:
  • https://cad.mysite.com
  • http://99.99.00.190:3000
  • * (allow all origins - not recommended for production)
CORS_ORIGIN_URL="http://192.168.x.x:3000"
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NEXT_PUBLIC_CLIENT_URL
string
required
The URL/IP to your site where the CAD client is hosted.Examples:
  • https://cad.mysite.com
  • http://99.99.00.190:3000
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLIENT_URL="http://192.168.x.x:3000"
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NEXT_PUBLIC_PROD_ORIGIN
string
required
The URL/IP to where the API is hosted.Examples:
  • https://cad-api.mysite.com/v1
  • http://99.99.00.190:8080/v1
Must include the /v1 suffix
NEXT_PUBLIC_PROD_ORIGIN="http://192.168.x.x:8080/v1"

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Port Configuration

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PORT_API
number
default:"8080"
The port on which the API will run.
When using Docker, make sure to change this in the production.docker-compose.yml file too.
PORT_API=8080
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PORT_CLIENT
number
default:"3000"
The port on which the client will run.
PORT_CLIENT=3000

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Environment

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NODE_ENV
string
default:"production"
The Node.js environment mode.
Do not change this unless you know what you’re doing!
NODE_ENV="production"

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Optional Variables

These variables are optional and enable additional features when configured.

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Domain and Security

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DOMAIN
string
Your domain name. Only enter this value if you’re using a domain!
Domain should only be the domain, NOT including sub-domains
Example: DOMAIN="example.com"
DOMAIN=""
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SECURE_COOKIES_FOR_IFRAME
boolean
default:"false"
Enable secure cookies for iframe embedding.
Can only be enabled when having valid SSL (https) and a domain.
SECURE_COOKIES_FOR_IFRAME="false"

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Discord Integration

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DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
string
Your Discord bot token for Discord integration features.See the Discord Integration guide for setup instructions.
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DISCORD_CLIENT_ID
string
Your Discord application client ID for Discord OAuth authentication.
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DISCORD_CLIENT_SECRET
string
Your Discord application client secret for Discord OAuth authentication.
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DISCORD_SERVER_ID
string
Your Discord server (guild) ID. Supports multiple servers separated by commas.Example: DISCORD_SERVER_ID="123456789,987654321"
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DISCORD_METADATA_CAD_CONNECTED_NAME
string
default:"SnailyCAD Connected"
The name displayed in Discord for the CAD connection metadata.

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Steam Integration

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STEAM_API_KEY
string
Your Steam API key for Steam authentication.Obtain a Steam API key from Steam’s developer portal.

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Google reCAPTCHA

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GOOGLE_CAPTCHA_SECRET
string
Your Google reCAPTCHA secret key for bot protection on registration and login.Get your reCAPTCHA keys from Google reCAPTCHA.

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Advanced Options

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IS_USING_ROOT_USER
boolean
default:"false"
Enable this if running SnailyCAD as the root user (not recommended).This adds the --no-sandbox flag to Chromium-based operations.
IS_USING_ROOT_USER="false"

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Configuration Examples

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Docker Installation

.env
# Database
POSTGRES_PASSWORD="your-secure-password"
POSTGRES_USER="postgres"
POSTGRES_DB="snaily-cad-v4"
DB_HOST="postgres"
DB_PORT="5432"

# Security
JWT_SECRET="your-random-jwt-secret-here"
ENCRYPTION_TOKEN="Geu2WGypP7irbwa3tCeeKS6YiyluFLep"

# URLs
CORS_ORIGIN_URL="https://cad.example.com"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLIENT_URL="https://cad.example.com"
NEXT_PUBLIC_PROD_ORIGIN="https://cad.example.com/api/v1"

# Domain
DOMAIN="example.com"
SECURE_COOKIES_FOR_IFRAME="true"

# Ports
PORT_API=8080
PORT_CLIENT=3000

# Environment
NODE_ENV="production"

# Database URL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@${DB_HOST}:${DB_PORT}/${POSTGRES_DB}?sslmode=prefer

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Standalone Installation

.env
# Database
POSTGRES_PASSWORD="your-secure-password"
POSTGRES_USER="postgres"
POSTGRES_DB="snaily-cad-v4"
DB_HOST="localhost"
DB_PORT="5432"

# Security
JWT_SECRET="your-random-jwt-secret-here"
ENCRYPTION_TOKEN="Geu2WGypP7irbwa3tCeeKS6YiyluFLep"

# URLs
CORS_ORIGIN_URL="http://localhost:3000"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLIENT_URL="http://localhost:3000"
NEXT_PUBLIC_PROD_ORIGIN="http://localhost:8080/v1"

# Ports
PORT_API=8080
PORT_CLIENT=3000

# Environment
NODE_ENV="production"

# Database URL
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@${DB_HOST}:${DB_PORT}/${POSTGRES_DB}?sslmode=prefer

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Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit your .env file to version control
  2. Use strong, random values for JWT_SECRET and ENCRYPTION_TOKEN
  3. Keep your database credentials secure and use strong passwords
  4. Use HTTPS in production with a valid SSL certificate
  5. Restrict CORS origins - avoid using * in production
  6. Regularly rotate secrets especially after team member changes

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Troubleshooting

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Connection Issues

If you’re experiencing connection issues:
  1. Verify all URLs are correct and accessible
  2. Check that ports are not blocked by firewalls
  3. Ensure database is running and accessible
  4. Verify CORS_ORIGIN_URL matches your client URL

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Database Connection Errors

If database connection fails:
  1. Verify database credentials are correct
  2. Ensure PostgreSQL is running
  3. Check DB_HOST and DB_PORT are correct
  4. Test connection with psql or another database client

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Docker-Specific Issues

For Docker installations:
  1. Use DB_HOST="postgres" not "localhost"
  2. Ensure ports in production.docker-compose.yml match your .env
  3. Restart containers after changing .env values

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