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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/luiss811/Backend-Airguide/llms.txt

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AirGuide reads all runtime configuration from a .env file at the project root. Before starting any service you must create this file and supply values for each variable. The sections below explain what every variable does so you can configure the backend correctly for your environment.

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Complete .env template

Copy the template below into a new .env file at the root of the repository and replace the placeholder values with your own. 
DATABASE_URL="postgres://<user>:<password>@<host>:5432/<db>?sslmode=require"

API_URL="http://localhost:3001/api"
API_KEY="<your-google-api-key>"
GOOGLE_ROUTES_API_KEY="<your-google-api-key>"
NODE_ENV="development"

JWT_SECRET="<random-secret>"
JWT_EXPIRES_IN="1d"

CORS_ORIGIN="http://localhost:5173"

SMTP_HOST="smtp.gmail.com"
SMTP_PORT="587"
SMTP_SECURE="false"
SMTP_USER="you@gmail.com"
SMTP_PASS="<app-password>"
SMTP_FROM="AirGuide <you@gmail.com>"
Never commit real secrets — database passwords, JWT secrets, or SMTP credentials — to version control. Add .env to your .gitignore before your first commit.

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Variable reference

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DATABASE_URL

The PostgreSQL connection string used by Prisma to connect to your database. The format is:
DATABASE_URL="postgres://<user>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<database>?sslmode=require"
For Prisma Data Platform (pooled connections), the host ends in .db.prisma.io. For a local database, use localhost:5432 and omit sslmode=require.This variable is read directly by Prisma at both migration time and runtime — every service that queries the database uses this value.

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API_URL

The public base URL of the API Gateway, including the /api path prefix. The frontend uses this value to construct request URLs.
  • Development: http://localhost:3001/api
  • Production: the public URL of your deployed gateway, e.g. https://api.yourdomain.com/api

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API_KEY / GOOGLE_ROUTES_API_KEY

A Google API key used by the Navigation Service to call the Google Routes API for live walking directions. You can generate one in the Google Cloud Console. Enable the Routes API for the key.The navigation service reads this value from GOOGLE_ROUTES_API_KEY at runtime. Set both variables to the same key value to ensure compatibility:
API_KEY="your-google-api-key"
GOOGLE_ROUTES_API_KEY="your-google-api-key"

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NODE_ENV

Controls runtime behavior across all services. Accepted values are development and production.
  • In development, services log verbose output and Prisma runs in dev mode.
  • In production, optimized builds run from dist/ and error details are suppressed from API responses.

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JWT_SECRET

The secret key used to sign and verify JSON Web Tokens. All six services share this value — a token signed by the Auth Service is verified by the Gateway and any downstream service that needs it.Use a long, random string (at least 32 characters). You can generate one with:
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"

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JWT_EXPIRES_IN

How long an issued JWT remains valid. Uses the ms format: 1d (one day), 8h (eight hours), 30m (thirty minutes). After expiry the client must re-authenticate.

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CORS_ORIGIN

The origin that the API Gateway allows for cross-origin requests. Set this to the URL of your frontend application.
  • Development: http://localhost:5173 (Vite default)
  • Production: your deployed frontend domain, e.g. https://app.yourdomain.com
Only one origin is supported per deployment. If you need to allow multiple origins, update the CORS configuration in src/gateway/index.ts.

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SMTP_HOST

Hostname of your SMTP server. The default template uses smtp.gmail.com for Gmail.

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SMTP_PORT

Port used by the SMTP server. Common values:
PortProtocol
587STARTTLS (recommended)
465SSL/TLS
25Unencrypted (not recommended)

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SMTP_SECURE

Set to "true" when using port 465 (direct TLS). Set to "false" when using port 587 with STARTTLS. The Auth Service passes this value to Nodemailer’s secure option.

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SMTP_USER

The email address used to authenticate with the SMTP server. For Gmail this is your full Gmail address.

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SMTP_PASS

The password for authenticating with the SMTP server. For Gmail accounts with two-factor authentication enabled, use an App Password rather than your account password.
Generate a Gmail App Password at myaccount.google.com/apppasswords. Select “Mail” as the app and your device type. Copy the 16-character password into SMTP_PASS.

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SMTP_FROM

The sender display name and address that appears in OTP emails. Use the format Name <address@domain.com>, for example:
SMTP_FROM="AirGuide <no-reply@yourdomain.com>"

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