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Pterodactyl Panel uses environment variables defined in the .env file for core configuration settings. This file is located in the root of your Panel installation.

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Initial Setup

During installation, copy the example environment file: 
cp .env.example .env

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Core Application Settings

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Application Environment

.env
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
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APP_ENV
string
default:"production"
Application environment. Use production for live deployments, local for development.
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APP_DEBUG
boolean
default:"false"
Enable debug mode. Shows detailed error messages with stack traces.
Never enable in production! Debug mode exposes sensitive application details.

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Application Identity

.env
APP_NAME="Pterodactyl Panel"
APP_URL=https://panel.example.com
APP_LOCALE=en
APP_TIMEZONE=UTC
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APP_NAME
string
default:"Pterodactyl"
Application name used in emails and UI elements.
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APP_URL
string
required
The full URL where your Panel is accessible. Used for generating URLs in emails and console commands.Example: https://panel.example.com
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APP_LOCALE
string
default:"en"
Default language locale for the application.
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APP_TIMEZONE
string
default:"UTC"
Default timezone for the application. See PHP timezones.

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Encryption Key

.env
APP_KEY=base64:YOUR_32_CHARACTER_KEY_HERE
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APP_KEY
string
required
Application encryption key. Generated during installation with php artisan key:generate.
Critical Security Setting! Changing this key will invalidate all encrypted data including session cookies.

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Theme Configuration

.env
APP_THEME=pterodactyl
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APP_THEME
string
default:"pterodactyl"
Active theme name. Custom themes should be placed in resources/themes/.

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Security Settings

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HashIDs Configuration

HashIDs are used to obfuscate internal database IDs in public-facing URLs.
.env
HASHIDS_SALT=random_salt_value
HASHIDS_LENGTH=8
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HASHIDS_SALT
string
required
Random salt for HashID generation. Should be a long, random string.
Never change this value after installation as it will break all existing URLs.
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HASHIDS_LENGTH
integer
default:"8"
Minimum length of generated hash IDs.

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Environment Restrictions

.env
APP_ENVIRONMENT_ONLY=true
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APP_ENVIRONMENT_ONLY
boolean
default:"true"
When enabled, only environment variables are used for configuration. Recommended for security.

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Logging Configuration

.env
LOG_CHANNEL=daily
LOG_LEVEL=debug
LOG_DEPRECATIONS_CHANNEL=null
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LOG_CHANNEL
string
default:"daily"
Logging channel to use. Options:
  • daily - Separate log file per day
  • single - Single log file
  • stack - Multiple channels
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LOG_LEVEL
string
default:"debug"
Minimum log level. Options: debug, info, notice, warning, error, critical, alert, emergency

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Generating the Application Key

After creating your .env file, generate an encryption key: 
php artisan key:generate --force
The --force flag is required in production environments.

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Next Steps

Email Configuration

Configure SMTP and email settings

Database Setup

Configure MySQL/MariaDB connection

Cache & Queues

Set up Redis, caching, and queue workers

Security Settings

Configure SSL, trusted proxies, and sessions

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