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Overview

CompanyFlow uses environment variables for configuration. The application loads variables from a .env file in development and from system environment variables in production.

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Configuration Loading

The application uses godotenv to load the .env file. From config/config.go:15: 
if err := godotenv.Load(); err != nil {
    log.Println("No .env file found, using environment variables")
}
If no .env file is found, the application will use system environment variables. This is the recommended approach for production deployments.

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Required Environment Variables

1

Create .env File

Create a .env file in the root directory of your project:
touch .env
Never commit your .env file to version control. Add it to .gitignore to prevent accidental commits.
2

Configure Database Variables

Add your PostgreSQL database configuration:
.env
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USER=your_database_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password
DB_NAME=companyflow
DB_SSLMODE=disable
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DB_HOST
string
required
PostgreSQL server hostname or IP address
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DB_PORT
string
required
PostgreSQL server port (default: 5432)
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DB_USER
string
required
Database user with access to the CompanyFlow database
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DB_PASSWORD
string
required
Password for the database user
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DB_NAME
string
required
Name of the database (default: companyflow)
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DB_SSLMODE
string
required
SSL mode for database connection. Options: disable, require, verify-ca, verify-full
3

Configure Server Variables

Add server configuration:
.env
PORT=8080
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000
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PORT
string
default:"8080"
Port number for the HTTP server
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CORS_ORIGIN
string
default:"http://localhost:3000"
Allowed origin for CORS requests. Set to your frontend application URL.
4

Configure Authentication

Add JWT secret for authentication:
.env
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
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JWT_SECRET
string
required
Secret key for signing JWT tokens. Use a strong, random string.
Generate a secure JWT secret using a cryptographically secure random generator. Never use simple strings like “secret” or “password”.
Generate a secure JWT secret:
openssl rand -base64 64

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Complete Configuration Example

Here’s a complete .env file example: 
# Database Configuration
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USER=companyflow_user
DB_PASSWORD=dev_password_123
DB_NAME=companyflow
DB_SSLMODE=disable

# Server Configuration
PORT=8080
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

# Authentication
JWT_SECRET=your_generated_secret_key_here

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Environment Variable Validation

CompanyFlow validates required environment variables at startup. From config/config.go:50: 
func mustGetEnv(key string) string {
    value := os.Getenv(key)
    if value == "" {
        log.Fatalf("Missing required environment variable: %s", key)
    }
    return value
}
If any required variable is missing, the application will fail to start with a clear error message.

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CORS Configuration

The CORS middleware is configured in main.go:46. It allows:
  • Origin: Specified in CORS_ORIGIN (default: http://localhost:3000)
  • Methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS
  • Headers: Content-Type, Authorization
  • Credentials: Enabled

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Multiple CORS Origins

To support multiple origins, you’ll need to modify the CORS middleware in main.go:44. Example: 
allowedOrigins := []string{
    "http://localhost:3000",
    "https://app.yourcompany.com",
    "https://staging.yourcompany.com",
}

origin := r.Header.Get("Origin")
for _, allowed := range allowedOrigins {
    if origin == allowed {
        w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", origin)
        break
    }
}

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Testing Environment Variables

For testing, you can create a separate .env.test file:
.env.test
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USER=companyflow_test
DB_PASSWORD=test_password
DB_NAME=companyflow_test
DB_SSLMODE=disable
PORT=8081
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000
JWT_SECRET=test_jwt_secret
Load it before running tests: 
export $(cat .env.test | xargs) && go test ./...

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Production Deployment

Never use .env files in production. Use your platform’s environment variable configuration instead.

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Platform-Specific Configuration

# Use --env-file or -e flags
docker run -e DB_HOST=localhost \
  -e DB_PORT=5432 \
  -e DB_USER=companyflow \
  -e DB_PASSWORD=password \
  -e DB_NAME=companyflow \
  -e DB_SSLMODE=require \
  -e PORT=8080 \
  -e CORS_ORIGIN=https://app.com \
  -e JWT_SECRET=secret \
  companyflow:latest

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Troubleshooting

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Missing Environment Variable Error

If you see this error: 
Missing required environment variable: DB_HOST
Ensure your .env file exists and contains all required variables.

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.env File Not Loading

If your .env file isn’t being loaded:
  1. Verify the file is named exactly .env (not .env.txt)
  2. Ensure it’s in the root directory where you run go run main.go
  3. Check file permissions: chmod 644 .env

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CORS Errors

If you see CORS errors in the browser:
  1. Verify CORS_ORIGIN matches your frontend URL exactly (including protocol)
  2. Ensure the frontend is making requests to the correct API URL
  3. Check that preflight OPTIONS requests are being handled

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Next Steps

After configuring environment variables:
  1. Set up your database
  2. Run database migrations
  3. Test your configuration

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