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The Ollama API Proxy uses environment variables to configure API keys, server settings, and behavior. You can set these variables in a .env file in your project root or export them in your shell.

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Required Variables

At least one API provider key must be configured for the proxy to start.
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OPENAI_API_KEY
string
API key for OpenAI provider. Required if you want to use OpenAI models like gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, etc.
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-...
The proxy will initialize the OpenAI provider only if this key is set (src/index.js:104-106).
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GEMINI_API_KEY
string
API key for Google’s Gemini provider. Required if you want to use Gemini models like gemini-2.5-flash.
GEMINI_API_KEY=AIzaSy...
The proxy will initialize the Google provider only if this key is set (src/index.js:107-109).
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OPENROUTER_API_KEY
string
API key for OpenRouter provider. Required if you want to use OpenRouter models like deepseek-r1.
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-v1-...
The proxy will initialize the OpenRouter provider only if this key is set (src/index.js:110-117).
If no API keys are configured, the proxy will fail to start with the error:
❌ No API keys found. Set OPENAI_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY, or OPENROUTER_API_KEY
This check occurs at src/index.js:119-122.

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Optional Variables

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PORT
number
default:"11434"
Port number for the HTTP server. Defaults to 11434 to match Ollama’s default port.
PORT=3000
The server will start on http://localhost:PORT (src/index.js:20).
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OPENROUTER_API_URL
string
default:"https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
Custom base URL for OpenRouter API. Only used if OPENROUTER_API_KEY is set.
OPENROUTER_API_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
Useful for testing or using alternative OpenRouter endpoints (src/index.js:113).
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NODE_ENV
string
default:"development"
Node environment setting. When set to production, timestamps are disabled in console logs.
NODE_ENV=production
This affects the ColorConsole timestamp behavior (src/index.js:15).

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Example Configuration

Create a .env file in your project root: 
PORT=11434
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-...
GEMINI_API_KEY=AIzaSy...
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-v1-...
NODE_ENV=production

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Loading Environment Variables

The proxy automatically loads environment variables using dotenv at startup (src/index.js:18). Make sure your .env file is in the same directory where you run the proxy.
Environment variables set in your shell will override values in the .env file.

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Verification

When the proxy starts successfully, you’ll see which providers are initialized: 
🚀 Ollama Proxy with Streaming running on http://localhost:11434
🔑 Providers: openai, google, openrouter
📋 Available models: gpt-4o-mini, gemini-2.5-flash, deepseek-r1
This output confirms which API keys were detected and which providers are available (src/index.js:560-562).

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