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Overview

SlugShare requires several environment variables to connect to the database, secure authentication, and enable Google OAuth sign-in.
Never commit your .env file to version control. The .env file contains sensitive credentials and should remain private.

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Creating the .env File

Create a .env file in the webserver directory (the root of your Next.js application): 
touch .env
Then add the required environment variables below.

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Required Environment Variables

1

Database URL

Add your PostgreSQL connection string:
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/database_name?sslmode=require"
Format breakdown:
  • user - Your PostgreSQL username
  • password - Your PostgreSQL password
  • localhost:5432 - Database host and port
  • database_name - Your database name
  • sslmode=require - Enable SSL connection (recommended for production)
For local development without SSL, you can use ?sslmode=disable instead.
Example connection strings:
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/slugshare?sslmode=disable"
2

NextAuth Secret

Generate and add an authentication secret:
openssl rand -base64 32
Copy the output and add it to your .env:
AUTH_SECRET="your-generated-secret-here"
The AUTH_SECRET must be at least 32 characters long and should be a cryptographically secure random string. Never use a simple password or predictable string.
NextAuth.js v5 uses AUTH_SECRET (not NEXTAUTH_SECRET from v4).
3

Google OAuth Credentials

Add your Google OAuth credentials for sign-in functionality:
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID="your-google-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com"
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET="your-google-client-secret"
See the Google OAuth Setup section below for instructions on obtaining these credentials.

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Complete .env Template

Your final .env file should look like this: 
# Database Connection
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/database_name?sslmode=require"

# NextAuth.js Secret (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
AUTH_SECRET="your-secret-key-here"

# Google OAuth (for Google sign-in)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID="your-google-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com"
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET="your-google-client-secret"

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Optional Environment Variables

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Prisma Accelerate

If you’re using Prisma Accelerate for connection pooling and caching: 
PRISMA_DATABASE_URL="prisma+postgres://accelerate.prisma-data.net/?api_key=your_api_key"

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Alternative PostgreSQL URL

Some hosting providers use POSTGRES_URL instead of DATABASE_URL: 
POSTGRES_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/database_name?sslmode=require"

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Google OAuth Setup

To enable Google sign-in, you need to create OAuth credentials in Google Cloud Console:
1

Access Google Cloud Console

Navigate to Google Cloud Console
2

Create or select a project

  • Click the project dropdown in the top navigation
  • Select an existing project or click New Project
  • Give your project a name (e.g., “SlugShare”)
3

Enable Google+ API

  • Go to APIs & Services > Library
  • Search for “Google+ API”
  • Click Enable
4

Create OAuth credentials

  • Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
  • Click Create Credentials > OAuth client ID
  • Select Application type: Web application
  • Give it a name (e.g., “SlugShare Web Client”)
Add authorized redirect URIs:
http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/google
The redirect URI must exactly match your application URL. For local development, use http://localhost:3000. For production, use your actual domain with https://.
5

Copy credentials

  • Click Create
  • Copy the Client ID to GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID in your .env
  • Copy the Client Secret to GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET in your .env

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Verifying Environment Variables

After setting up your .env file, verify it’s being loaded correctly: 
node -e "require('dotenv').config(); console.log(process.env.DATABASE_URL ? 'DATABASE_URL is set' : 'DATABASE_URL is missing')"
Next.js automatically loads environment variables from .env files. You don’t need to install dotenv separately.

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Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit .env to git - It’s already in .gitignore
  2. Use different secrets for development and production
  3. Rotate secrets regularly - Especially after team member changes
  4. Use SSL for database connections - Add sslmode=require to production URLs
  5. Restrict OAuth redirect URIs - Only add URLs you actually use

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Troubleshooting

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”Cannot connect to database”

Check that:
  • Your PostgreSQL server is running
  • The DATABASE_URL format is correct
  • Username and password are correct
  • The database exists (you may need to create it first)

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“Invalid AUTH_SECRET”

Ensure:
  • The secret is at least 32 characters
  • There are no extra spaces or quotes
  • You’ve restarted the dev server after adding it

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”Google OAuth not working”

Verify:
  • GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET are correct
  • The redirect URI in Google Cloud Console matches your app URL exactly
  • Google+ API is enabled in your Google Cloud project

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Next Steps

Now that your environment variables are configured, proceed to Database Setup to initialize your PostgreSQL database with Prisma.

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