---
title: Environment Variables
description: Complete reference for all OpenPanel environment variables
---

import { Callout } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/callout';

This page documents all environment variables used by OpenPanel. Variables are organized by category. Most variables are optional and have sensible defaults.

<Callout>
For deployment-specific configuration, see the [deployment guides](/docs/self-hosting/deploy-docker-compose).
</Callout>

## Database & Storage

### DATABASE_URL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: Yes  
**Default**: None

PostgreSQL connection string for the main database.

**Example**:
```bash
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/openpanel?schema=public
```

### DATABASE_URL_DIRECT

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Same as `DATABASE_URL`

Direct PostgreSQL connection string (bypasses connection pooling). Used for migrations and administrative operations.

**Example**:
```bash
DATABASE_URL_DIRECT=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/openpanel?schema=public
```

### DATABASE_URL_REPLICA

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Same as `DATABASE_URL`

Read replica connection string for read-heavy operations. If not set, uses the main database.

**Example**:
```bash
DATABASE_URL_REPLICA=postgres://user:password@replica-host:5432/openpanel?schema=public
```

### REDIS_URL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: Yes  
**Default**: `redis://localhost:6379`

Redis connection string for caching and queue management.

**Example**:
```bash
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
# With password
REDIS_URL=redis://:password@localhost:6379
```

### CLICKHOUSE_URL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: Yes  
**Default**: `http://localhost:8123/openpanel`

ClickHouse HTTP connection URL for analytics data storage.

**Example**:
```bash
CLICKHOUSE_URL=http://localhost:8123/openpanel
```

### CLICKHOUSE_CLUSTER

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Enable ClickHouse cluster mode. Set to `true` or `1` if using a ClickHouse cluster.

**Example**:
```bash
CLICKHOUSE_CLUSTER=true
```

### CLICKHOUSE_SETTINGS

**Type**: `string` (JSON)  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `{}`

Additional ClickHouse settings as a JSON object.

**Example**:
```bash
CLICKHOUSE_SETTINGS='{"max_execution_time": 300}'
```

### CLICKHOUSE_SETTINGS_REMOVE_CONVERT_ANY_JOIN

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Remove `convert_any_join` from ClickHouse settings. Used for compatibility with certain ClickHouse versions. This needs to be set if you use any clickhouse version below 25!

## Application URLs

### NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: Yes  
**Default**: None

Public API URL exposed to the browser. Used by the dashboard frontend and API service.

**Example**:
```bash
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://analytics.example.com/api
```

### NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: Yes  
**Default**: None

Public dashboard URL exposed to the browser. Used by the dashboard frontend and API service.

**Example**:
```bash
NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL=https://analytics.example.com
```

### API_CORS_ORIGINS

**Type**: `string` (comma-separated)  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Additional CORS origins allowed for API requests. Comma-separated list of origins.

**Example**:
```bash
API_CORS_ORIGINS=https://app.example.com,https://another-app.com
```

## Authentication & Security

### COOKIE_SECRET

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: Yes  
**Default**: None

Secret key for encrypting session cookies. Generate a secure random string (32+ characters).

**Example**:
```bash
# Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
COOKIE_SECRET=your-random-secret-here
```

<Callout type="warn">
Never use the default value in production! Always generate a unique secret.
</Callout>

### DEMO_USER_ID

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

User ID for demo mode. When set, creates a demo session for testing.

**Example**:
```bash
DEMO_USER_ID=user_1234567890
```

### ALLOW_REGISTRATION

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false` (after first user is created)

Allow new user registrations. Set to `true` to enable public registration.

**Example**:
```bash
ALLOW_REGISTRATION=true
```

<Callout>
Registration is automatically disabled after the first user is created. Set this to `true` to re-enable it.
</Callout>

### ALLOW_INVITATION

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `true`

Allow user invitations. Set to `false` to disable invitation functionality.

**Example**:
```bash
ALLOW_INVITATION=false
```

## AI Features

### AI_MODEL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `gpt-4.1-mini`

AI model to use for the analytics assistant. Options: `gpt-4o`, `gpt-4o-mini`, `claude-3-5`.

**Example**:
```bash
AI_MODEL=gpt-4o-mini
```

### OPENAI_API_KEY

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No (required if using OpenAI models)  
**Default**: None

OpenAI API key for AI features. Required if `AI_MODEL` is set to `gpt-4o` or `gpt-4o-mini`.

**Example**:
```bash
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-api-key-here
```

### ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No (required if using Claude models)  
**Default**: None

Anthropic API key for Claude AI models. Required if `AI_MODEL` is set to `claude-3-5`.

**Example**:
```bash
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-anthropic-api-key-here
```

### GEMINI_API_KEY

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Google Gemini API key for Gemini AI models. Currently not used but reserved for future support.

**Example**:
```bash
GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-api-key-here
```

<Callout type="info">
The AI assistant is optional. Without an API key configured, the AI chat feature will not be available, but all other OpenPanel features will continue to work normally.
</Callout>

## Email

### RESEND_API_KEY

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Resend API key for sending transactional emails (password resets, invitations, etc.).

**Example**:
```bash
RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
```

<Callout>
Get your API key from [resend.com](https://resend.com). Make sure to verify your sender email domain.
</Callout>

### EMAIL_SENDER

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `hello@openpanel.dev`

Email address used as the sender for transactional emails.

**Example**:
```bash
EMAIL_SENDER=noreply@yourdomain.com
```

<Callout>
The sender email must be verified in your Resend account.
</Callout>

## OAuth & Integrations

### SLACK_CLIENT_ID

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Slack OAuth client ID for Slack integration.

**Example**:
```bash
SLACK_CLIENT_ID=1234567890.1234567890
```

### SLACK_CLIENT_SECRET

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Slack OAuth client secret for Slack integration.

**Example**:
```bash
SLACK_CLIENT_SECRET=your-slack-client-secret
```

### SLACK_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Slack OAuth redirect URL. Must match the redirect URI configured in your Slack app.

**Example**:
```bash
SLACK_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URL=https://analytics.example.com/api/integrations/slack/callback
```

### SLACK_STATE_SECRET

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Secret for signing Slack OAuth state parameter.

**Example**:
```bash
SLACK_STATE_SECRET=your-state-secret
```

## Self-hosting

### NEXT_PUBLIC_SELF_HOSTED

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Enable self-hosted mode. Set to `true` or `1` to enable self-hosting features. Used by both the dashboard frontend and API service.

**Example**:
```bash
NEXT_PUBLIC_SELF_HOSTED=true
```

## Worker & Queue

### WORKER_PORT

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `3000`

Port for the worker service to listen on.

**Example**:
```bash
WORKER_PORT=3000
```

### DISABLE_BULLBOARD

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Disable BullMQ board UI. Set to `true` or `1` to disable the queue monitoring dashboard.

**Example**:
```bash
DISABLE_BULLBOARD=true
```

### DISABLE_WORKERS

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Disable all worker processes. Set to `true` or `1` to disable background job processing.

**Example**:
```bash
DISABLE_WORKERS=true
```

### ENABLED_QUEUES

**Type**: `string` (comma-separated)  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: All queues enabled

Comma-separated list of queue names to enable. Available queues: `events`, `sessions`, `cron`, `notification`, `misc`, `import`.

**Example**:
```bash
ENABLED_QUEUES=events,sessions,cron
```

### EVENT_JOB_CONCURRENCY

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `10`

Number of concurrent event processing jobs per worker.

**Example**:
```bash
EVENT_JOB_CONCURRENCY=20
```

### EVENT_BLOCKING_TIMEOUT_SEC

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `1`

Blocking timeout in seconds for event queue workers.

**Example**:
```bash
EVENT_BLOCKING_TIMEOUT_SEC=2
```

### EVENTS_GROUP_QUEUES_SHARDS

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `1`

Number of shards for the events group queue. Increase for better performance with high event volume.

**Example**:
```bash
EVENTS_GROUP_QUEUES_SHARDS=4
```

### QUEUE_CLUSTER

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Enable Redis cluster mode for queues. When enabled, queue names are wrapped with `{}` for Redis cluster sharding.

**Example**:
```bash
QUEUE_CLUSTER=true
```

### ORDERING_DELAY_MS

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `100`

Delay in milliseconds to hold events for correct ordering when events arrive out of order.

**Example**:
```bash
ORDERING_DELAY_MS=200
```

<Callout type="warn">
Should not exceed 500ms. Higher values may cause delays in event processing.
</Callout>

### AUTO_BATCH_MAX_WAIT_MS

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `0` (disabled)

Maximum wait time in milliseconds for auto-batching events. Experimental feature.

**Example**:
```bash
AUTO_BATCH_MAX_WAIT_MS=100
```

<Callout type="warn">
⚠️ **Experimental**: This feature is experimental and not used in production. Do not use unless you have a good understanding of the implications and specific performance requirements.
</Callout>

### AUTO_BATCH_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `0` (disabled)

Batch size for auto-batching events. Experimental feature.

**Example**:
```bash
AUTO_BATCH_SIZE=100
```

<Callout type="warn">
⚠️ **Experimental**: This feature is experimental and not used in production. Do not use unless you have a good understanding of the implications and specific performance requirements.
</Callout>

## Buffers

### SESSION_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Buffer-specific default

Batch size for session buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
SESSION_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE=5000
```

### SESSION_BUFFER_CHUNK_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Buffer-specific default

Chunk size for session buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
SESSION_BUFFER_CHUNK_SIZE=1000
```

### EVENT_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `4000`

Batch size for event buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
EVENT_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE=5000
```

### EVENT_BUFFER_CHUNK_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `1000`

Chunk size for event buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
EVENT_BUFFER_CHUNK_SIZE=2000
```

### PROFILE_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Buffer-specific default

Batch size for profile buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
PROFILE_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE=5000
```

### PROFILE_BUFFER_CHUNK_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Buffer-specific default

Chunk size for profile buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
PROFILE_BUFFER_CHUNK_SIZE=1000
```

### PROFILE_BUFFER_TTL_IN_SECONDS

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Buffer-specific default

Time-to-live in seconds for profile buffer entries.

**Example**:
```bash
PROFILE_BUFFER_TTL_IN_SECONDS=3600
```

### BOT_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: Buffer-specific default

Batch size for bot detection buffer operations.

**Example**:
```bash
BOT_BUFFER_BATCH_SIZE=1000
```

## Performance & Tuning

### IMPORT_BATCH_SIZE

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `5000`

Batch size for data import operations.

**Example**:
```bash
IMPORT_BATCH_SIZE=10000
```

### IP_HEADER_ORDER

**Type**: `string` (comma-separated)  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: See [default order](https://github.com/Openpanel-dev/openpanel/blob/main/packages/common/server/get-client-ip.ts)

Custom order of HTTP headers to check for client IP address. Useful when behind specific proxies or CDNs.

**Example**:
```bash
IP_HEADER_ORDER=cf-connecting-ip,x-real-ip,x-forwarded-for
```

<Callout>
The default order includes: `openpanel-client-ip`, `cf-connecting-ip`, `true-client-ip`, `x-client-ip`, `x-forwarded-for`, `x-real-ip`, and others. See the [source code](https://github.com/Openpanel-dev/openpanel/blob/main/packages/common/server/get-client-ip.ts) for the complete default list.
</Callout>

### SHUTDOWN_GRACE_PERIOD_MS

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `5000`

Grace period in milliseconds for graceful shutdown of services.

**Example**:
```bash
SHUTDOWN_GRACE_PERIOD_MS=10000
```

### API_PORT

**Type**: `number`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `3000`

Port for the API service to listen on.

**Example**:
```bash
API_PORT=3000
```

## Logging

### LOG_LEVEL

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `info`

Logging level. Options: `error`, `warn`, `info`, `debug`.

**Example**:
```bash
LOG_LEVEL=debug
```

### LOG_SILENT

**Type**: `boolean`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: `false`

Disable all logging output. Set to `true` to silence logs.

**Example**:
```bash
LOG_SILENT=true
```

### LOG_PREFIX

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

Prefix for log messages. Useful for identifying logs from different services.

**Example**:
```bash
LOG_PREFIX=api
```

### HYPERDX_API_KEY

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

HyperDX API key for sending logs to HyperDX for monitoring and analysis.

**Example**:
```bash
HYPERDX_API_KEY=your-hyperdx-api-key
```

## Geo

### MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY

**Type**: `string`  
**Required**: No  
**Default**: None

MaxMind GeoLite2 license key for downloading GeoIP databases.

**Example**:
```bash
MAXMIND_LICENSE_KEY=your-maxmind-license-key
```

<Callout>
Get your license key from [MaxMind](https://www.maxmind.com/en/accounts/current/license-key). Required for downloading GeoIP databases.
</Callout>

## Quick Reference

### Required Variables

For a basic self-hosted installation, these variables are required:

- `DATABASE_URL` - PostgreSQL connection
- `REDIS_URL` - Redis connection
- `CLICKHOUSE_URL` - ClickHouse connection
- `NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL` - API endpoint URL
- `NEXT_PUBLIC_DASHBOARD_URL` - Dashboard URL
- `COOKIE_SECRET` - Session encryption secret

### Optional but Recommended

- `RESEND_API_KEY` - For email features
- `EMAIL_SENDER` - Email sender address
- `OPENAI_API_KEY` or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` - For AI features
- `AI_MODEL` - AI model selection

### See Also

- [Deploy with Docker Compose](/docs/self-hosting/deploy-docker-compose)
- [Deploy with Coolify](/docs/self-hosting/deploy-coolify)
- [Deploy with Dokploy](/docs/self-hosting/deploy-dokploy)
- [Deploy on Kubernetes](/docs/self-hosting/deploy-kubernetes)

