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Apicentric can be configured using environment variables, which is useful for deployment scenarios and keeping sensitive data like API keys out of configuration files.

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Loading environment variables

Apicentric automatically loads environment variables from a .env file in your project root if one exists. You can also set environment variables directly in your shell or deployment platform.

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Creating a .env file

Copy the .env.example file to create your own .env file: 
cp .env.example .env
Then edit .env with your specific values.
Never commit .env files to version control. Add .env to your .gitignore file.

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Server configuration

Control how Apicentric’s HTTP server runs.
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APICENTRIC_PORT
number
default:"8000"
Port number for the Apicentric server.Example: APICENTRIC_PORT=8080
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APICENTRIC_HOST
string
default:"0.0.0.0"
Host address to bind the server to.
  • 0.0.0.0 - Listen on all network interfaces
  • 127.0.0.1 - Listen only on localhost
Example: APICENTRIC_HOST=127.0.0.1

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Authentication

Configure authentication and security settings.
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APICENTRIC_PROTECT_SERVICES
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, requires authentication for all API endpoints.Set to true to enable JWT authentication.Example: APICENTRIC_PROTECT_SERVICES=true
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APICENTRIC_JWT_SECRET
string
required
Secret key used to sign and verify JWT tokens.
In production, use a strong, randomly generated secret. You can generate one using:
openssl rand -base64 32
Example: APICENTRIC_JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key-here

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Database

Configure the database for persistent storage.
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APICENTRIC_DB_PATH
string
default:"./data/apicentric.db"
Path to the SQLite database file.The directory will be created automatically if it doesn’t exist.Example: APICENTRIC_DB_PATH=/var/lib/apicentric/db.sqlite

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CORS configuration

Configure Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) for browser requests.
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ALLOWED_ORIGINS
string
Comma-separated list of allowed origins for CORS requests.This is useful when your frontend application runs on a different domain or port than Apicentric.Example: ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,https://app.example.comDefault: http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:9002

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Logging

Control logging verbosity and output.
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RUST_LOG
string
default:"info,apicentric=debug"
Log level configuration using Rust’s env_logger format.Log levels:
  • error - Only errors
  • warn - Warnings and errors
  • info - Informational messages (default)
  • debug - Detailed debugging information
  • trace - Very verbose tracing output
You can set different levels for different modules:Examples:
# Set global level to info, Apicentric to debug
RUST_LOG=info,apicentric=debug

# Verbose logging for everything
RUST_LOG=trace

# Only errors
RUST_LOG=error

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AI configuration

Configure AI providers for code generation features.
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OPENAI_API_KEY
string
API key for OpenAI services.Required if you set ai.provider to openai in your apicentric.json.Example: OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
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GEMINI_API_KEY
string
API key for Google Gemini services.Required if you set ai.provider to gemini in your apicentric.json, unless you specify the API key directly in the config file.Example: GEMINI_API_KEY=AIza...

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Frontend configuration

These variables are used by the Apicentric web UI.
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NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL
string
default:"http://localhost:8000"
URL of the Apicentric API server.This tells the frontend where to send API requests.Example: NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
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NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL
string
default:"ws://localhost:8000/ws"
WebSocket URL for real-time updates.Used for live log streaming and state updates in the web UI.Example: NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL=ws://localhost:8000/ws

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Production settings

Configure behavior for production deployments.
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NODE_ENV
string
default:"development"
Node.js environment mode.Options:
  • development - Development mode with hot reloading
  • production - Optimized production builds
Example: NODE_ENV=production
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NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_CONSOLE
boolean
default:"true"
Enable console logging in the frontend application.Set to false in production to disable console logs.Example: NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_CONSOLE=false

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Complete example

# Server Configuration
APICENTRIC_PORT=8000
APICENTRIC_HOST=0.0.0.0

# Authentication
APICENTRIC_PROTECT_SERVICES=false
APICENTRIC_JWT_SECRET=change-this-to-a-secure-random-string

# Database
APICENTRIC_DB_PATH=./data/apicentric.db

# CORS Configuration
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:9002

# Logging
RUST_LOG=info,apicentric=debug

# AI Configuration
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key-here
GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-api-key-here

# Frontend Configuration
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000
NEXT_PUBLIC_WS_URL=ws://localhost:8000/ws

# Production Settings
NODE_ENV=development
NEXT_PUBLIC_ENABLE_CONSOLE=true

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Environment variable precedence

When the same setting can be configured in multiple places, Apicentric uses this precedence order (highest to lowest):
  1. Command-line arguments - Flags passed directly to the CLI
  2. Environment variables - Set in your shell or .env file
  3. Configuration file - Settings in apicentric.json
  4. Default values - Built-in defaults

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Security best practices

Follow these security best practices when working with environment variables:
  1. Never commit secrets to version control
    • Add .env to your .gitignore
    • Use .env.example as a template without real secrets
  2. Use strong, random secrets
    • Generate JWT secrets with at least 32 bytes of randomness
    • Rotate secrets periodically
  3. Restrict access in production
    • Store secrets in your deployment platform’s secret management system
    • Use environment-specific .env files
    • Limit who can access production secrets
  4. Use read-only database paths
    • Ensure the database directory has appropriate permissions
    • Back up your database regularly

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Deployment platforms

Most deployment platforms provide ways to set environment variables:
  • Docker: Use docker run -e or docker-compose.yml env sections
  • Kubernetes: Use ConfigMaps and Secrets
  • Heroku: Use heroku config:set
  • Vercel/Netlify: Use the dashboard or CLI to set environment variables
  • AWS/GCP/Azure: Use their respective secret management services

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Debugging environment variables

To verify which environment variables are loaded, you can check the logs when Apicentric starts. The log output will show which configuration values are being used (with secrets redacted). You can also use the following command to see all environment variables in your shell: 
env | grep APICENTRIC

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