Environment Variables

Complete list of all environment variables used by the application.

Quick Reference

bash

cp .env.example .env

Copy to .env and fill in values

Required Variables

These must be set for the app to function:

Database

Variable	Description	Example
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db

Used in: /prisma/schema.prisma

How to get DATABASE_URL:

Provider	Instructions
Supabase	Go to Supabase Project → Connect → ORMs → Prisma and copy the DIRECT_URL
Neon	Go to your Neon project → Dashboard → Connect to your database, and copy the Connection string

Authentication

Variable	Description	Example
AUTH_SECRET	NextAuth.js secret (32+ chars)	your-super-secret-key-here-32-chars
NEXTAUTH_URL	App URL for auth callbacks	http://localhost:3000
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID	Google OAuth client ID	123456789.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET	Google OAuth client secret	GOCSPX-xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Used in: /lib/auth.ts, /api/auth/, /api/send-welcome-email/

Payments

Variable	Description	Example
PAYMENT_PROVIDER	Active payment provider	stripe or razorpay

Default: stripe if not set.

Stripe

Variable	Description	Example
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY	Stripe API secret key	sk_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY	Stripe publishable key	pk_test_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET	Webhook endpoint secret	whsec_xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Used in: /lib/payments/stripe.ts, /api/payments/

Razorpay (Alternative to Stripe)

Variable	Description	Example
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID	Razorpay API key ID	rzp_test_xxxxxxxxxxxx
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET	Razorpay API key secret	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
RAZORPAY_WEBHOOK_SECRET	Webhook endpoint secret (you generate this yourself)	[generated hex string]

Used in: /lib/payments/razorpay.ts, /api/payments/

Important: Unlike Stripe, Razorpay requires you to generate your own webhook secret. You generate a random secret, use it when creating the webhook in Razorpay dashboard, and add the same secret to your .env file. See Payment Setup for detailed generation instructions.

Email

Variable	Description	Example
RESEND_API_KEY	Resend API key	re_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
EMAIL_FROM	Sender email address	noreply@yourdomain.com

Used in: /lib/email.ts, /api/auth/magic-link/

App Details

Variable	Description	Example
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL	Public app URL (for SEO/sitemap)	https://yourdomain.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME	App name for branding	"Your SaaS"

Used in: /lib/seo.ts, /app/sitemap.ts, /app/robots.ts, /components/

Getting API Keys

AUTH_SECRET

Generate a random string:

bash

openssl rand -base64 32

Or use: generate-secret.vercel.app

Google OAuth

Go to Google Cloud Console
Create a project or select existing
Go to APIs & Services → Credentials
Create OAuth 2.0 Client ID
Add authorized redirect URIs:
- Development: http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/google
- Production: https://yourdomain.com/api/auth/callback/google
Copy Client ID and Client Secret

Payment Provider Keys

For Stripe and Razorpay API keys, webhook setup, and detailed configuration instructions, see Payment Setup.

Resend API Key

Go to Resend Dashboard
API Keys → Create API Key
Copy the key

Database URL

Format: postgresql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT/DATABASE

Local PostgreSQL:

bash

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/saas"

Supabase:

bash

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:[password]@db.[project].supabase.co:5432/postgres"

Neon:

bash

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://[user]:[password]@[endpoint].neon.tech/[database]?sslmode=require"

Optional Variables

These have defaults or fallbacks:

Variable	Description	Default
SUPPORT_EMAIL	Contact form recipient	Falls back to EMAIL_FROM

Error Tracking (Optional)

Variable	Description	Example
SENTRY_DSN	Sentry server-side DSN	https://xxx@sentry.io/xxx
SENTRY_ENVIRONMENT	Environment name	development or production
NEXT_PUBLIC_SENTRY_DSN	Sentry client-side DSN	https://xxx@sentry.io/xxx

Note: Sentry is optional. If not configured, the app works normally without error tracking.

Used in: sentry.*.config.ts, error boundaries, API routes

AI Providers (Optional)

Variable	Description	Example
OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAI API secret key	sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Anthropic API secret key	sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
GEMINI_API_KEY	Google Gemini API key	AIzaSyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Note: AI providers are optional. The app works normally without them. Configure at least one provider to enable AI features.

Used in: /lib/ai/providers/

Environment File Template

Create .env file with these values:

bash

# ===================
# APP DETAILS
# ===================
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME="Your SaaS"

# ===================
# DATABASE
# ===================
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/saas_db"

# ===================
# AUTHENTICATION
# ===================
AUTH_SECRET=generate-a-random-32-character-string-here
NEXTAUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Google OAuth (from Google Cloud Console)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-google-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-google-client-secret

# ===================
# PAYMENTS
# ===================
# Select payment provider: "stripe" (default) or "razorpay"
PAYMENT_PROVIDER=stripe

# --- Stripe (if using Stripe) ---
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_your-stripe-secret-key
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_your-stripe-publishable-key
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_your-webhook-secret

# --- Razorpay (if using Razorpay) ---
# RAZORPAY_KEY_ID=rzp_test_your-razorpay-key-id
# RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET=your-razorpay-key-secret
# RAZORPAY_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your-razorpay-webhook-secret

# ===================
# EMAIL (Resend)
# ===================
RESEND_API_KEY=re_your-resend-api-key
EMAIL_FROM=noreply@yourdomain.com
SUPPORT_EMAIL=noreply@yourdomain.com

# ===================
# AI PROVIDERS (Optional)
# ===================
# OpenAI (for GPT models)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-api-key

# Anthropic (for Claude models)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-anthropic-api-key

# Google Gemini
GEMINI_API_KEY=AIzaSy-your-gemini-api-key

# ===================
# ERROR TRACKING (Optional - Sentry)
# ===================
SENTRY_ENVIRONMENT=development

# Server-side error tracking
SENTRY_DSN=https://1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef@o123456.ingest.sentry.io/1234567

# Client-side error tracking
NEXT_PUBLIC_SENTRY_DSN=https://1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef@o123456.ingest.sentry.io/1234567

Development vs Production

Development (.env)

bash

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
NEXTAUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

Production (Vercel Dashboard)

bash

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com
NEXTAUTH_URL=https://yourdomain.com
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_live_...

Vercel Environment Variables

In Vercel Dashboard → Project → Settings → Environment Variables:

Add each variable
Select environments (Production, Preview, Development)
Some variables need specific scopes:
- NEXT_PUBLIC_* - Exposed to browser
- Others - Server-side only

Validation

The app validates required variables at startup:

Missing STRIPE_SECRET_KEY → Error on startup
Missing STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET → Error on startup
Missing RESEND_API_KEY → Error on startup
Missing DATABASE_URL → Prisma connection fails

Troubleshooting

"STRIPE_SECRET_KEY is required"

Add Stripe keys to .env:

bash

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_xxxxx
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_xxxxx

"RESEND_API_KEY is required"

Add Resend key to .env:

bash

RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxx

"Invalid `prisma.user.findUnique()` invocation"

Check DATABASE_URL is valid and database is running.

"Google OAuth redirect_uri mismatch"

Verify redirect URI in Google Console matches exactly:

http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/google (dev)
https://yourdomain.com/api/auth/callback/google (prod)