This guide covers all environment variables needed to configure Discord Webhook Manager.
Environment File Setup The application uses a .env file for configuration. This file is created from .env.example:
cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app sudo cp .env.example .env sudo nano .env
Never commit the .env file to version control. It contains sensitive credentials.
Core Application Settings Application Configuration # Application name (displayed in emails and UI) APP_NAME = WebhookManager # Environment: local, staging, production APP_ENV = production # Application key (generate with: php artisan key:generate) APP_KEY = base64:your-generated-key-here # Debug mode (MUST be false in production) APP_DEBUG = false # Your application URL APP_URL = https://yourdomain.com
Never set APP_DEBUG=true in production. This exposes sensitive information in error messages.
Localization # Application locale APP_LOCALE = en # Fallback locale APP_FALLBACK_LOCALE = en # Faker locale for testing APP_FAKER_LOCALE = en_US
Logging # Log channel: stack, single, daily, slack, syslog LOG_CHANNEL = stack # Stack configuration LOG_STACK = single # Log level: debug, info, notice, warning, error, critical, alert, emergency LOG_LEVEL = error # Deprecation warnings channel LOG_DEPRECATIONS_CHANNEL = null
For production, use LOG_LEVEL=error to reduce log file size. Use daily channel for automatic log rotation.
Database Configuration PostgreSQL (Recommended) DB_CONNECTION = pgsql DB_HOST = 127.0.0.1 DB_PORT = 5432 DB_DATABASE = discord_webhook DB_USERNAME = webhook_user DB_PASSWORD = your_secure_password
MySQL Alternative DB_CONNECTION = mysql DB_HOST = 127.0.0.1 DB_PORT = 3306 DB_DATABASE = discord_webhook DB_USERNAME = webhook_user DB_PASSWORD = your_secure_password
SQLite (Development Only) DB_CONNECTION = sqlite DB_HOST = 127.0.0.1 DB_PORT = DB_DATABASE = DB_USERNAME = DB_PASSWORD =
SQLite is only suitable for local development. Use PostgreSQL or MySQL for production.
Redis Configuration Redis is required for optimal performance:
# Redis client (phpredis recommended) REDIS_CLIENT = phpredis # Redis server REDIS_HOST = 127.0.0.1 REDIS_PASSWORD = null REDIS_PORT = 6379 # Redis connections REDIS_CACHE_CONNECTION = cache REDIS_QUEUE_CONNECTION = default
Cache Configuration # Cache driver: redis, database, file, memcached CACHE_STORE = redis # Optional cache prefix # CACHE_PREFIX=webhook_
Redis (Recommended)
Database Fallback
File-based (Development)
Queue Configuration # Queue connection: redis, database, sync QUEUE_CONNECTION = redis
Queue configuration is critical. Without a proper queue driver, scheduled messages will not be sent.
Redis (Production)
Database (Fallback)
Sync (Development Only)
Session Configuration # Session driver: redis, database, file, cookie SESSION_DRIVER = redis # Session lifetime (minutes) SESSION_LIFETIME = 120 # Encrypt session data SESSION_ENCRYPT = false # Session cookie path SESSION_PATH = / # Session cookie domain SESSION_DOMAIN = null # Redis connection for sessions SESSION_STORE = redis
Mail Configuration SMTP Configuration # Mail driver: smtp, log, mailgun, ses, postmark, sendmail MAIL_MAILER = smtp # SMTP server details MAIL_HOST = smtp.yourdomain.com MAIL_PORT = 587 MAIL_USERNAME = your_smtp_username MAIL_PASSWORD = your_smtp_password MAIL_ENCRYPTION = tls # From address MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS = "[email protected] " MAIL_FROM_NAME = "${ APP_NAME }"
Mail Service Examples Gmail
Mailjet
SendGrid
Development (Log)
MAIL_MAILER = smtp MAIL_HOST = smtp.gmail.com MAIL_PORT = 587 MAIL_USERNAME = [email protected] MAIL_PASSWORD = your-app-password MAIL_ENCRYPTION = tls
Mail configuration is required for sending team collaboration invitations. In development, use MAIL_MAILER=log to log emails instead of sending them.
Optional Services AI Content Generation Enable AI-powered message content generation:
# OpenAI Configuration OPENAI_API_KEY = sk-your-openai-api-key # Google Gemini Configuration GEMINI_API_KEY = your-gemini-api-key
You only need to configure one AI provider. Users with can_use_ai flag enabled can generate content automatically.
Analytics (Matomo) Optional analytics tracking:
# Matomo Tag Manager container URL VITE_MATOMO_CONTAINER_URL = https://your-matomo-instance.com/js/container_XXXXXX.js
File Storage # Filesystem disk: local, public, s3 FILESYSTEM_DISK = local
For scheduled message attachments, files are stored in storage/app/scheduled_messages/ by default.
AWS S3 (Optional) If using S3 for file storage:
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = your_access_key AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = your_secret_key AWS_DEFAULT_REGION = us-east-1 AWS_BUCKET = your_bucket_name AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT = false
Security Settings Password Hashing # BCrypt rounds (higher = more secure, slower) BCRYPT_ROUNDS = 12
Maintenance Mode # Maintenance mode driver: file, cache APP_MAINTENANCE_DRIVER = file # Optional: store maintenance state in database # APP_MAINTENANCE_STORE=database
PHP Workers # Number of PHP CLI server workers (development only) # PHP_CLI_SERVER_WORKERS=4
Broadcasting # Broadcast driver: log, pusher, ably, redis, null BROADCAST_CONNECTION = log
Memcached (Alternative Cache) Frontend Configuration Vite Variables # Application name (available in React) VITE_APP_NAME = "${ APP_NAME }" # Matomo analytics (optional) VITE_MATOMO_CONTAINER_URL =
Variables prefixed with VITE_ are exposed to the frontend JavaScript code.
Production Configuration Example Here’s a complete production .env example:
# Application APP_NAME = WebhookManager APP_ENV = production APP_KEY = base64:generated-key-here APP_DEBUG = false APP_URL = https://webhook.yourdomain.com APP_LOCALE = en APP_FALLBACK_LOCALE = en BCRYPT_ROUNDS = 12 # Logging LOG_CHANNEL = daily LOG_LEVEL = error LOG_DEPRECATIONS_CHANNEL = null # Database (PostgreSQL) DB_CONNECTION = pgsql DB_HOST = 127.0.0.1 DB_PORT = 5432 DB_DATABASE = discord_webhook DB_USERNAME = webhook_user DB_PASSWORD = super_secure_password_here # Redis REDIS_CLIENT = phpredis REDIS_HOST = 127.0.0.1 REDIS_PASSWORD = null REDIS_PORT = 6379 REDIS_CACHE_CONNECTION = cache REDIS_QUEUE_CONNECTION = default # Cache & Queue CACHE_STORE = redis QUEUE_CONNECTION = redis # Sessions SESSION_DRIVER = redis SESSION_LIFETIME = 120 SESSION_ENCRYPT = false SESSION_STORE = redis # Mail (SMTP) MAIL_MAILER = smtp MAIL_HOST = smtp.yourdomain.com MAIL_PORT = 587 MAIL_USERNAME = [email protected] MAIL_PASSWORD = smtp_password_here MAIL_ENCRYPTION = tls MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS = "[email protected] " MAIL_FROM_NAME = "${ APP_NAME }" # File Storage FILESYSTEM_DISK = local # Broadcasting BROADCAST_CONNECTION = log # Frontend VITE_APP_NAME = "${ APP_NAME }" # Optional: AI Content Generation # OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here # GEMINI_API_KEY=your-key-here # Optional: Analytics # VITE_MATOMO_CONTAINER_URL=https://matomo.yourdomain.com/js/container_XXXXX.js
Post-Configuration Steps After editing .env, run these commands:
Clear configuration cache
Cache configuration (production only)
Restart services
# Restart PHP-FPM sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm # Restart queue workers sudo supervisorctl restart all
Configuration Validation Verify your configuration:
# Check database connection php artisan migrate:status # Check Redis connection php artisan tinker >>> Cache::get( 'test' ) >>> exit # Check queue connection php artisan queue:monitor
Security Best Practices Follow these security practices for production deployments:
Use strong, unique passwords for all servicesNever set APP_DEBUG=true in productionKeep .env file permissions restricted :
chmod 600 .env chown www-data:www-data .env
Use HTTPS for APP_URLEnable Redis password if exposed to networkRegularly rotate API keys and passwordsBackup .env file securely (encrypted)
Troubleshooting Configuration Cached If changes don’t take effect:
php artisan config:clear php artisan cache:clear
Environment Variables Not Loading Check file permissions:
ls -la .env # Should be readable by www-data
Redis Connection Failed Verify Redis is running:
redis-cli ping sudo systemctl status redis-server
Next Steps 