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GoodCraft Script requires several environment variables to run. This guide covers all required and optional variables.

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Required variables

These variables must be set for the application to start.

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Database

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DATABASE_URL
string
required
PostgreSQL connection string.
postgres://user:password@host:5432/database
On Render, this is automatically injected from the linked PostgreSQL service.

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Authentication (Clerk)

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NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY
string
required
Clerk publishable key for client-side authentication.Find this in Clerk Dashboard > API Keys.
pk_live_xxxxx
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CLERK_SECRET_KEY
string
required
Clerk secret key for server-side authentication.Find this in Clerk Dashboard > API Keys.
sk_live_xxxxx

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Optional variables

These variables enable additional features.

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Logging

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LOGTAIL_SOURCE_TOKEN
string
BetterStack (Logtail) source token for centralized logging.Find this in BetterStack Logs > Sources.
abc123xyz

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Application

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NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL
string
Public URL of your application. Used for generating absolute URLs.
https://script.goodcraft.io
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NODE_ENV
string
default:"development"
Environment mode. Set to production for production deployments.Values: development, production, test

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Example configuration

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Local development (.env.local)

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost:5432/goodcraft_dev

# Clerk (use test keys for development)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_xxxxx
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_xxxxx

# Optional
LOGTAIL_SOURCE_TOKEN=
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

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Production

# Database (set by Render)
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@host:5432/goodcraft_prod

# Clerk (use live keys)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_live_xxxxx
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_xxxxx

# Logging
LOGTAIL_SOURCE_TOKEN=your_token_here

# Application
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://script.goodcraft.io
NODE_ENV=production

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Security notes

Never commit environment variables to version control. Use .env.local for local development and environment variable settings in your hosting platform for production.
  • Keep secrets secret - CLERK_SECRET_KEY and DATABASE_URL contain sensitive credentials
  • Use live vs test keys - Clerk provides separate keys for development and production
  • Rotate compromised keys - If a key is exposed, regenerate it immediately in the respective dashboard

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Checking configuration

The application logs missing required variables on startup: 
Error: Missing required environment variable: CLERK_SECRET_KEY
You can also check the health endpoint: 
curl https://your-app.com/api/health
Returns 200 OK if all required variables are configured correctly.