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Environment Variables Reference

Complete reference for all environment variables in nself-chat

Source file: /Users/admin/Sites/nself-chat/.env.example

Table of Contents

  1. Quick Start
  2. Environment
  3. Backend Services
  4. Platform Template
  5. White-Label Branding
  6. Theme Configuration
  7. Feature Flags - Core Messaging
  8. Feature Flags - Rich Content
  9. Feature Flags - Advanced
  10. Feature Flags - Integrations
  11. Feature Flags - Moderation
  12. UI Configuration
  13. Limits
  14. Authentication Providers
  15. Authentication Settings
  16. Notifications
  17. SEO & Social
  18. Legal
  19. nself CLI Integration
  20. Server-Side Only
  21. Development Only

Quick Start

# Copy example to local config
cp .env.example .env.local

# Edit with your values
nano .env.local

# Start development
pnpm dev

Environment

Core Environment Settings

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENV string development Environment mode: development, staging, production
NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_DEV_AUTH boolean true Enable development authentication (test users, auto-login)
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL string http://localhost:3000 Base URL for the application 
# Example
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENV=development
NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_DEV_AUTH=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

Backend Services

Nhost / Backend URLs

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_NHOST_SUBDOMAIN string localhost Nhost project subdomain
NEXT_PUBLIC_NHOST_REGION string local Nhost region
NEXT_PUBLIC_GRAPHQL_URL string http://api.localhost/v1/graphql GraphQL endpoint (Hasura)
NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL string ws://api.localhost/v1/graphql WebSocket endpoint
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_URL string http://auth.localhost/v1/auth Authentication service
NEXT_PUBLIC_STORAGE_URL string http://storage.localhost/v1/storage File storage (MinIO)
NEXT_PUBLIC_FUNCTIONS_URL string http://functions.localhost/v1/functions Serverless functions
NEXT_PUBLIC_SOCKET_URL string ws://realtime.localhost Socket.io server
NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_URL string http://search.localhost Search service (MeiliSearch) 
# Local development (via nself CLI)
NEXT_PUBLIC_NHOST_SUBDOMAIN=localhost
NEXT_PUBLIC_NHOST_REGION=local
NEXT_PUBLIC_GRAPHQL_URL=http://api.localhost/v1/graphql
NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL=ws://api.localhost/v1/graphql
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_URL=http://auth.localhost/v1/auth
NEXT_PUBLIC_STORAGE_URL=http://storage.localhost/v1/storage
NEXT_PUBLIC_FUNCTIONS_URL=http://functions.localhost/v1/functions
NEXT_PUBLIC_SOCKET_URL=ws://realtime.localhost
NEXT_PUBLIC_SEARCH_URL=http://search.localhost

Platform Template

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_PLATFORM_TEMPLATE string default UI template: default, slack, discord, telegram, whatsapp 
# Use Discord-style UI
NEXT_PUBLIC_PLATFORM_TEMPLATE=discord

White-Label Branding

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME string nchat Application name
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_TAGLINE string Modern Team Communication Application tagline
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_LOGO string /logo.svg Logo image URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_FAVICON string /favicon.ico Favicon URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_COMPANY_NAME string nself Company name (footer)
NEXT_PUBLIC_COMPANY_URL string https://nself.org Company website
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPPORT_EMAIL string support@nself.org Support email 
# Custom branding
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME=MyChat
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_TAGLINE=Team Communication Made Easy
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_LOGO=/custom-logo.svg
NEXT_PUBLIC_COMPANY_NAME=My Company

Theme Configuration

Color Mode

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_MODE string dark Default color mode: light, dark, system

Colors

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_PRIMARY hex #00D4FF Primary brand color
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_SECONDARY hex #6366F1 Secondary color
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_ACCENT hex #10B981 Accent color
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_BACKGROUND hex (commented) Background override
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_SURFACE hex (commented) Surface override
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_TEXT hex (commented) Text color override
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_MUTED hex (commented) Muted text override
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_BORDER hex (commented) Border color override

UI Settings

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_RADIUS string md Border radius: none, sm, md, lg, xl, full
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_FONT string inter Font family: inter, system, sf-pro, segoe, roboto, open-sans 
# Custom theme
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_MODE=dark
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_PRIMARY=#6366F1
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_SECONDARY=#8B5CF6
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_ACCENT=#22C55E
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_RADIUS=lg
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_FONT=inter

Feature Flags - Core Messaging

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_PUBLIC_CHANNELS boolean true Public channels
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_PRIVATE_CHANNELS boolean true Private (invite-only) channels
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_DIRECT_MESSAGES boolean true 1-on-1 direct messages
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_GROUP_DMS boolean true Group DMs (2-8 people)
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_THREADS boolean true Threaded replies
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_REACTIONS boolean true Message reactions (emoji)
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_MENTIONS boolean true User @mentions
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_CHANNEL_MENTIONS boolean true Channel #mentions 
# Disable threads and reactions
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_THREADS=false
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_REACTIONS=false

Feature Flags - Rich Content

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_FILE_UPLOADS boolean true File uploads
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_VOICE_MESSAGES boolean false Voice recordings
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_VIDEO_CALLS boolean false Video calling (WebRTC)
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_SCREEN_SHARE boolean false Screen sharing
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_CODE_BLOCKS boolean true Syntax-highlighted code
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_MARKDOWN boolean true Markdown formatting
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_LINK_PREVIEWS boolean true URL unfurling
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_CUSTOM_EMOJIS boolean true Custom workspace emojis
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_GIF_PICKER boolean true GIF picker integration 
# Enable voice messages
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_VOICE_MESSAGES=true

Feature Flags - Advanced

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_MESSAGE_SEARCH boolean true Message search
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_USER_PRESENCE boolean true Online/away/offline status
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_TYPING_INDICATORS boolean true "User is typing..."
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_READ_RECEIPTS boolean true Read state tracking
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_MESSAGE_SCHEDULING boolean false Schedule messages
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_MESSAGE_PINS boolean true Pin important messages
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_BOOKMARKS boolean true Save messages
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_CHANNEL_CATEGORIES boolean true Organize channels
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_GUEST_ACCESS boolean false External guest users
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_INVITES boolean true User invitations

Feature Flags - Integrations

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_SLACK_INTEGRATION boolean false Slack import/sync
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_GITHUB_INTEGRATION boolean false GitHub notifications
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_JIRA_INTEGRATION boolean false Jira integration
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_GOOGLE_DRIVE boolean false Google Drive sharing
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_WEBHOOKS boolean true Incoming webhooks
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_BOTS boolean true Bot accounts
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_SLASH_COMMANDS boolean true Slash commands

Feature Flags - Moderation

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_AUTO_MODERATION boolean false Auto content moderation
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_PROFANITY_FILTER boolean false Profanity filtering
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_SPAM_DETECTION boolean false Spam detection
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_MESSAGE_REPORTING boolean true User content reporting
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_AUDIT_LOGS boolean true Admin audit logs

UI Configuration

Sidebar

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_SIDEBAR_POSITION string left Position: left, right
NEXT_PUBLIC_SIDEBAR_DEFAULT_STATE string expanded State: expanded, collapsed
NEXT_PUBLIC_SIDEBAR_WIDTH number 260 Width in pixels (200-400)

Messages

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_MESSAGE_DENSITY string comfortable Density: compact, comfortable, spacious
NEXT_PUBLIC_MESSAGE_GROUPING boolean true Group consecutive messages

Avatars

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_AVATAR_STYLE string circle Style: circle, rounded, square
NEXT_PUBLIC_AVATAR_SIZE string md Size: sm, md, lg
NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_PRESENCE_DOTS boolean true Presence dots on avatars

Display

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_CHANNEL_ICONS boolean true Channel icons
NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_MEMBER_COUNT boolean true Member count in header
NEXT_PUBLIC_TIMESTAMP_FORMAT string relative Format: relative, absolute, both
NEXT_PUBLIC_DATE_FORMAT string MMM d, yyyy Date format (date-fns)
NEXT_PUBLIC_TIME_FORMAT string h:mm a Time format (date-fns) 
# Compact Discord-like UI
NEXT_PUBLIC_MESSAGE_DENSITY=compact
NEXT_PUBLIC_SIDEBAR_WIDTH=240
NEXT_PUBLIC_AVATAR_SIZE=sm

Limits

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH number 4000 Max message characters
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_FILE_SIZE number 104857600 Max file size (bytes) - 100MB
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_ATTACHMENTS_PER_MESSAGE number 10 Max attachments per message
NEXT_PUBLIC_MESSAGE_EDIT_WINDOW number 300000 Edit window (ms) - 5 minutes
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_CHANNELS_PER_USER number 500 Max channels per user
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_DMS_PER_USER number 1000 Max DM conversations
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_GROUP_DM_MEMBERS number 8 Max group DM members
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_PINS_PER_CHANNEL number 50 Max pins per channel
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_BOOKMARKS_PER_USER number 100 Max bookmarks per user
NEXT_PUBLIC_MESSAGE_PAGE_SIZE number 50 Messages per page 
# Increase limits for enterprise
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH=8000
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_FILE_SIZE=524288000  # 500MB
NEXT_PUBLIC_MAX_ATTACHMENTS_PER_MESSAGE=20

Authentication Providers

Basic Authentication

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_EMAIL_PASSWORD boolean true Email/password auth
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MAGIC_LINKS boolean false Passwordless email links

Social OAuth

Variable Type Default Server Secrets
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_GOOGLE boolean false GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_GITHUB boolean false GITHUB_CLIENT_ID, GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_DISCORD boolean false DISCORD_CLIENT_ID, DISCORD_CLIENT_SECRET
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_SLACK boolean false SLACK_CLIENT_ID, SLACK_CLIENT_SECRET
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_MICROSOFT boolean false MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_APPLE boolean false APPLE_CLIENT_ID, APPLE_CLIENT_SECRET

Enterprise Authentication

Variable Type Default Server Secrets
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_IDME boolean false IDME_CLIENT_ID, IDME_CLIENT_SECRET
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_SAML boolean false SAML_ENTRY_POINT, SAML_ISSUER, SAML_CERT 
# Enable Google and GitHub OAuth
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_GOOGLE=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_GITHUB=true
# Server-side secrets (not prefixed with NEXT_PUBLIC_)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-google-client-id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-google-client-secret
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your-github-client-id
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your-github-client-secret

Authentication Settings

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_ACCESS_MODE string allow-all Access mode (see below)
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_REQUIRE_EMAIL_VERIFICATION boolean false Require email verification
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_ALLOWED_DOMAINS string (empty) Comma-separated domains
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_REQUIRE_APPROVAL boolean false Require admin approval
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_DEFAULT_ROLE string member Default role: member, guest
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_DEFAULT_CHANNELS string general,announcements Default channels to join

Access Modes

Mode Description
allow-all Open registration
verified-only Email verification required
domain-restricted Specific email domains only
admin-only Manual approval required 
# Corporate setup with domain restriction
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_ACCESS_MODE=domain-restricted
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_ALLOWED_DOMAINS=company.com,subsidiary.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_REQUIRE_EMAIL_VERIFICATION=true

Notifications

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_NOTIFICATIONS_DESKTOP boolean true Desktop notifications
NEXT_PUBLIC_NOTIFICATIONS_SOUND boolean true Sound notifications
NEXT_PUBLIC_NOTIFICATIONS_EMAIL boolean false Email notifications
NEXT_PUBLIC_NOTIFICATIONS_PUSH boolean false Mobile push notifications

SEO & Social

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_META_TITLE string (app name) Meta title
NEXT_PUBLIC_META_DESCRIPTION string Modern team communication platform Meta description
NEXT_PUBLIC_OG_IMAGE string (empty) Open Graph image
NEXT_PUBLIC_TWITTER_HANDLE string (empty) Twitter handle
NEXT_PUBLIC_GA_ID string (empty) Google Analytics ID
NEXT_PUBLIC_PLAUSIBLE_DOMAIN string (empty) Plausible domain 
# SEO configuration
NEXT_PUBLIC_META_DESCRIPTION=Team communication for modern teams
NEXT_PUBLIC_OG_IMAGE=/og-image.png
NEXT_PUBLIC_TWITTER_HANDLE=mychatapp
NEXT_PUBLIC_GA_ID=G-XXXXXXXXXX

Legal

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_PRIVACY_URL string /privacy Privacy policy URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_TERMS_URL string /terms Terms of service URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_COOKIE_POLICY_URL string (empty) Cookie policy URL

nself CLI Integration

Variable Type Default Description
NSELF_CLI_VERSION string 0.4.8 nself CLI version
NSELF_PLUGINS_ENABLED string (empty) Enabled plugins

Server-Side Only

Important: These variables must NOT be prefixed with NEXT_PUBLIC_ as they contain secrets.

Database & Services

Variable Description
HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET Hasura admin secret
JWT_SECRET JWT signing secret
DATABASE_URL PostgreSQL connection string
REDIS_URL Redis connection string

External Services

Variable Description
SENTRY_DSN Sentry error tracking
SENDGRID_API_KEY SendGrid email API

AWS/S3 (alternative to MinIO)

Variable Description
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID AWS access key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY AWS secret key
AWS_S3_BUCKET S3 bucket name
AWS_S3_REGION S3 region 
# Server-side secrets
HASURA_ADMIN_SECRET=your-admin-secret
JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/nchat
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
SENTRY_DSN=https://xxx@sentry.io/xxx

Development Only

Variable Type Default Description
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_DEVTOOLS boolean true React Query devtools
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEBUG boolean false Debug logging
NEXT_PUBLIC_MOCK_API boolean false Mock API responses 
# Enable all dev features
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_DEVTOOLS=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEBUG=true

Complete Example (.env.local)

# =============================================
# nself-chat Local Development Configuration
# =============================================

# Environment
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENV=development
NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_DEV_AUTH=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Backend Services (via nself CLI)
NEXT_PUBLIC_NHOST_SUBDOMAIN=localhost
NEXT_PUBLIC_NHOST_REGION=local
NEXT_PUBLIC_GRAPHQL_URL=http://api.localhost/v1/graphql
NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL=ws://api.localhost/v1/graphql
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_URL=http://auth.localhost/v1/auth
NEXT_PUBLIC_STORAGE_URL=http://storage.localhost/v1/storage

# Branding
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME=nchat
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_TAGLINE=Modern Team Communication

# Theme
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_MODE=dark
NEXT_PUBLIC_THEME_PRIMARY=#00D4FF

# Core Features
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_PUBLIC_CHANNELS=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_PRIVATE_CHANNELS=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_DIRECT_MESSAGES=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_THREADS=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_REACTIONS=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_FEATURE_FILE_UPLOADS=true

# Authentication
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_EMAIL_PASSWORD=true
NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTH_ACCESS_MODE=allow-all

# Development
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_DEVTOOLS=true

This document covers all environment variables available in nself-chat. See .env.example for the complete template.

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