Overview
BookMe uses environment variables for all configuration. This keeps sensitive data out of source code and allows easy configuration across different environments.
Quick Start
Copy the Example File
Create your .env file from the template: Edit Configuration
Open .env in your text editor and fill in the required values: Verify Configuration
Before running the server, ensure all required variables are set. The application will exit with an error if any required variable is missing.
Environment Variables Reference
Server Configuration
Controls HTTP server behavior and timeouts.
PORT=8080
SERVER_READ_TIMEOUT=15s
SERVER_WRITE_TIMEOUT=15s
SERVER_IDLE_TIMEOUT=60s
LOG_LEVEL=info
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|---|
PORT | No | 8080 | Port number for the HTTP server |
SERVER_READ_TIMEOUT | No | 15s | Maximum duration for reading request |
SERVER_WRITE_TIMEOUT | No | 15s | Maximum duration for writing response |
SERVER_IDLE_TIMEOUT | No | 60s | Maximum duration for idle keep-alive connections |
LOG_LEVEL | No | info | Logging level: debug, info, warn, error |
Timeout values must be valid Go duration strings (e.g., 15s, 1m, 500ms).
Application Configuration
Core application settings.
ENV=dev
DB_URL=postgres://username:password@localhost:5432/bookme?sslmode=disable
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|---|
ENV | No | dev | Environment mode: dev, staging, or production |
DB_URL | Yes | - | PostgreSQL connection string |
In production, always use sslmode=require in your DB_URL for secure database connections.
Authentication & Security
JWT and session secrets for authentication.
SESSION_SECRET=your-session-secret-here
JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret-here
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|
SESSION_SECRET | Yes | Secret key for session encryption |
JWT_SECRET | Yes | Secret key for JWT token signing |
Generating Secure Secrets
Use OpenSSL to generate cryptographically secure secrets:
Run this command twice to generate both secrets:
# Generate SESSION_SECRET
SESSION_SECRET=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
echo "SESSION_SECRET=$SESSION_SECRET"
# Generate JWT_SECRET
JWT_SECRET=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
echo "JWT_SECRET=$JWT_SECRET"
Never commit your .env file to version control. It contains sensitive credentials.
OAuth Configuration
42 Intra OAuth settings. See OAuth Setup for detailed configuration.
CLIENT_ID=your-42-client-id
SECRET=your-42-client-secret
REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:8080/oauth/callback
OAUTH_AUTH_URI=https://api.intra.42.fr/oauth/authorize
OAUTH_TOKEN_URI=https://api.intra.42.fr/oauth/token
REDIRECT_TOKEN_URI=http://localhost:3000/auth/callback
USER_INFO_URL=https://api.intra.42.fr/v2/me
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|
CLIENT_ID | Yes | 42 OAuth application client ID |
SECRET | Yes | 42 OAuth application client secret |
REDIRECT_URI | Yes | Backend OAuth callback URL |
OAUTH_AUTH_URI | Yes | 42 OAuth authorization endpoint |
OAUTH_TOKEN_URI | Yes | 42 OAuth token endpoint |
REDIRECT_TOKEN_URI | Yes | Frontend redirect URL after authentication |
USER_INFO_URL | Yes | 42 API endpoint for user information |
Email Configuration
SMTP settings for email notifications. See Email Configuration for provider-specific setup.
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|---|
SMTP_HOST | Yes | - | SMTP server hostname |
SMTP_PORT | No | 587 | SMTP server port |
SMTP_USERNAME | Yes | - | SMTP authentication username |
SMTP_PASSWORD | Yes | - | SMTP authentication password |
FROM_EMAIL | Yes | - | Email address shown as sender |
FROM_NAME | No | BookMe | Display name for sender |
SMTP_USE_TLS | No | true | Enable TLS encryption |
Google Calendar Configuration
Optional Google Calendar integration for staff bookings. See Google Calendar Setup.
GOOGLE_CREDENTIALS_FILE=assets/book-me-service-account.json
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_SCOPE=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID=[email protected]
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|
GOOGLE_CREDENTIALS_FILE | Yes* | Path to service account JSON file |
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_SCOPE | Yes* | Google Calendar API scope |
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID | Yes* | Google Calendar ID to sync with |
*Required only if you want to enable Google Calendar integration for staff members.
Configuration Loading
The application loads configuration in the following order:
- Reads
.env file from the project root (if it exists)
- Loads system environment variables
- Validates required variables
- Applies default values for optional variables
System environment variables take precedence over .env file values. This is useful for containerized deployments.
Environment-Specific Configuration
Development
ENV=dev
PORT=8080
LOG_LEVEL=debug
DB_URL=postgres://bookme:password@localhost:5432/bookme?sslmode=disable
Production
ENV=production
PORT=8080
LOG_LEVEL=warn
DB_URL=postgres://bookme:[email protected]:5432/bookme?sslmode=require
SMTP_USE_TLS=true
Production environments should always use:
- Strong, randomly generated secrets
- SSL/TLS for database connections (
sslmode=require)
- Secure SMTP with TLS enabled
- Appropriate log levels (
info or warn)
Troubleshooting
Missing Required Variables
If you see an error like:
required environment variable not set key=DB_URL
.env file or system environment.
If timeout values are invalid:
invalid int environment variable, using default
15s, 1m, 500ms, etc.
File Not Found
If you see:
no .env file found, relying on system environment variables
Next Steps
After configuring your environment:
- Set up your database
- Configure OAuth authentication
- Set up email notifications