opnform-host-nginx/docs/configuration/environment-variables.mdx

---
title: Environment Variables
description: Detailed guide on configuring environment variables for OpnForm
---

OpnForm uses two `.env` files for configuration: one for the Laravel backend located in the `api` directory, and one for the Nuxt front-end located in the `client` directory.

## Backend Environment Variables

The following environment variables are used to [configure the Laravel](https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/configuration) application (OpnForm's API).

### Dedicated guides
There are dedicated configuration pages available for more detailed setup instructions on specific topics:
- [File Storage (S3)](../configuration/aws-s3)
- [Email Configuration (SMTP)](../configuration/email-setup)
- [Custom Domain](../configuration/custom-domain)


### Other Environment Variables

### Configuration Environment Variables

| Variable Name                | Description                                      |
|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| `JWT_TTL`                    | Time to live for JSON Web Tokens (JWT).          |
| `JWT_SECRET`                 | Secret key used to sign JWTs.                    |
| `H_CAPTCHA_SITE_KEY`         | Site key for hCaptcha integration.               |
| `H_CAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY`       | Secret key for hCaptcha integration.             |
| `RE_CAPTCHA_SITE_KEY`        | Site key for reCAPTCHA integration.              |
| `RE_CAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY`      | Secret key for reCAPTCHA integration.            |
| `OPEN_AI_API_KEY`            | API key for accessing OpenAI services.           |
| `UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY`        | Access key for Unsplash API.                     |
| `UNSPLASH_SECRET_KEY`        | Secret key for Unsplash API.                     |
| `GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`           | Client ID for Google OAuth.                      |
| `GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET`       | Client secret for Google OAuth.                  |
| `GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URL`        | Redirect URL for Google OAuth.                   |
| `GOOGLE_AUTH_REDIRECT_URL`   | Authentication redirect URL for Google OAuth.    |
| `GOOGLE_FONTS_API_KEY`       | API key for accessing Google Fonts.              |
| `FRONT_URL`                  | Public facing URL of the front-end.              |
| `FRONT_API_SECRET`           | Shared secret with the front-end.                |

### User Options Environment Variables

| Variable Name                | Description                                      |
|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| `ADMIN_EMAILS`               | Comma-separated list of admin email addresses.   |
| `TEMPLATE_EDITOR_EMAILS`     | Comma-separated list of template editor emails.  |
| `EXTRA_PRO_USERS_EMAILS`     | Comma-separated list of extra pro user emails.   |
| `MODERATOR_EMAILS`           | Comma-separated list of moderator email addresses. |
| `SHOW_OFFICIAL_TEMPLATES`    | Set to `false` to hide official templates from OpnForm's template gallery (defaults to `true`). |


## Front-end Environment Variables

### Front-end Environment Variables

| Variable Name                | Description                                      |
|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| `NUXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL`        | Public facing URL of the Nuxt application.       |
| `NUXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE`       | Base URL for the Laravel API.                    |
| `NUXT_PUBLIC_H_CAPTCHA_SITE_KEY` | Site key for hCaptcha integration on the front-end. |
| `NUXT_PUBLIC_RE_CAPTCHA_SITE_KEY` | Site key for reCAPTCHA integration on the front-end. |
| `NUXT_API_SECRET`            | Shared secret key between Nuxt and Laravel backend. |


import CloudVersion from "/snippets/cloud-version.mdx";

<CloudVersion/>

## Docker Environment Variables

When running OpnForm with Docker, there are some important considerations for handling environment variables:

### Updating Environment Variables

When changing environment variables in your `.env` files, you need to recreate the containers for the changes to take effect. Simply restarting the containers is not sufficient as Docker only loads environment variables when containers are created.

To apply new environment variable changes:

```bash
# For a specific service (e.g., ui)
docker compose down ui
docker compose up -d ui

# For all services
docker compose down
docker compose up -d
```

<Warning>
A simple `docker compose restart` will not reload environment variables from your `.env` files. You must use `down` and `up` commands to recreate the containers.
</Warning>