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Required environment variables

Toots requires several environment variables to function properly. Create a .env file in the apps/web directory with the following configuration.

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Database connection

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/toots"
The PostgreSQL connection string. This should point to your PostgreSQL database instance. Format: postgresql://[user]:[password]@[host]:[port]/[database]
Make sure the database specified in DATABASE_URL exists before running migrations.

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Authentication secrets

BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="your-random-secret-here"
BETTER_AUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
  • BETTER_AUTH_SECRET - A random secret string used for session signing and encryption. Generate a secure random string for production.
  • BETTER_AUTH_URL - The base URL where your application is hosted. Use http://localhost:3000 for local development.
Never commit your BETTER_AUTH_SECRET to version control. Use a strong random string in production.

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AI integration

GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY="your-gemini-api-key"
Your Google Gemini API key for AI-powered ticket generation and project chat features.
Without a valid Gemini API key, the AI features (ticket generation and project chat) will not work. See AI integration for setup instructions.

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Docker Compose environment

If you’re using the included compose.yaml for PostgreSQL, you can also set these variables in a root .env file: 
POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
POSTGRES_DB=toots
These variables configure the PostgreSQL container. Make sure they match the credentials in your DATABASE_URL.

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Example configuration

Here’s a complete .env file for local development:
apps/web/.env
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/toots"
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="generate-a-random-secret-string-here"
BETTER_AUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY="your-gemini-api-key-here"

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Generating secrets

For BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, generate a secure random string: 
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"

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Next steps

After configuring your environment variables:
  1. Set up your PostgreSQL database
  2. Configure authentication
  3. Set up Google Gemini API

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