> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/No-Country-simulation/S02-26-Equipo-33-Web-App/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment Variables

> Complete reference for all environment variables used in Horse Trust platform

The Horse Trust platform requires environment variables to be configured for both the server (backend) and client (frontend) applications.

## Server Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file in the `server/` directory with the following variables:

### Database Configuration

<ParamField path="MONGO_URI" type="string" required>
  MongoDB connection string for your database.

  ```bash theme={null}
  MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/horsetrust?retryWrites=true&w=majority
  ```

  **Format:** `mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster>/<database>`
</ParamField>

### Server Configuration

<ParamField path="PORT" type="number" default="8031">
  Port number where the Express server will run.

  ```bash theme={null}
  PORT=8031
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="NODE_ENV" type="string" default="development">
  Environment mode for the application.

  ```bash theme={null}
  NODE_ENV=development  # or production
  ```

  **Options:** `development`, `production`, `test`
</ParamField>

### Authentication & Security

<ParamField path="JWT_SECRET" type="string" required>
  Secret key used to sign JWT tokens for authentication.

  ```bash theme={null}
  JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this-in-production
  ```

  <Warning>
    Use a strong, random string in production. Never commit this value to version control.
  </Warning>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="JWT_EXPIRES_IN" type="string" default="10d">
  JWT token expiration time.

  ```bash theme={null}
  JWT_EXPIRES_IN=10d
  ```

  **Format:** Use time notation like `10d` (10 days), `24h` (24 hours), `30m` (30 minutes)
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BCRYPT_SALT_ROUNDS" type="number" default="12">
  Number of salt rounds for bcrypt password hashing.

  ```bash theme={null}
  BCRYPT_SALT_ROUNDS=12
  ```

  <Info>
    Higher values increase security but also increase processing time. 12 is a good balance for production.
  </Info>
</ParamField>

### CORS Configuration

<ParamField path="CORS_ORIGINS" type="string" default="*">
  Comma-separated list of allowed origins for CORS.

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Development
  CORS_ORIGINS=*

  # Production
  CORS_ORIGINS=https://horsetrust.com,https://www.horsetrust.com
  ```

  <Warning>
    In production, replace `*` with specific allowed origins for better security.
  </Warning>
</ParamField>

## Client Environment Variables

Create a `.env.local` file in the `client/` directory with the following variables:

### API Configuration

<ParamField path="NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL" type="string" required>
  Base URL for the backend API.

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Development
  NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8031/api

  # Production
  NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://api.horsetrust.com/api
  ```

  <Info>
    The `NEXT_PUBLIC_` prefix makes this variable accessible in the browser.
  </Info>
</ParamField>

### Cloudinary Configuration

<ParamField path="NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME" type="string" required>
  Your Cloudinary cloud name for image uploads.

  ```bash theme={null}
  NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=di2agiylz
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_UPLOAD_PRESET" type="string" required>
  Cloudinary upload preset for handling image uploads.

  ```bash theme={null}
  NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_UPLOAD_PRESET=horse_trust_uploads
  ```

  <Info>
    You need to create this upload preset in your Cloudinary dashboard with unsigned upload enabled.
  </Info>
</ParamField>

## Example Configuration Files

### Server `.env` Example

```bash theme={null}
# ================================
# SERVER CONFIGURATION
# ================================
PORT=8031
NODE_ENV=development

# ================================
# DATABASE
# ================================
MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/horsetrust

# ================================
# AUTHENTICATION
# ================================
JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=10d
BCRYPT_SALT_ROUNDS=12

# ================================
# CORS
# ================================
CORS_ORIGINS=*
```

### Client `.env.local` Example

```bash theme={null}
# ==========================================
# CLIENT CONFIGURATION
# ==========================================

# API URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8031/api

# Cloudinary
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=di2agiylz
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_UPLOAD_PRESET=horse_trust_uploads
```

## Security Best Practices

<Warning>
  **Never commit `.env` files to version control!**

  Ensure `.env`, `.env.local`, and `.env.production` are listed in your `.gitignore` file.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Use Strong Secrets">
    Generate strong, random strings for `JWT_SECRET` using a password generator or:

    ```bash theme={null}
    openssl rand -base64 32
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restrict CORS Origins">
    In production, never use `CORS_ORIGINS=*`. Specify exact domains.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Environment-Specific Files">
    Maintain separate configuration files for development, staging, and production.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Rotate Secrets Regularly">
    Update sensitive credentials like `JWT_SECRET` periodically and after any security incident.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Validation

The server validates required environment variables on startup. If any required variable is missing, the application will fail to start with an error message:

```bash theme={null}
MONGO_URI is not defined in environment variables
```

Ensure all required variables are set before running the application.