Settings reference

Most settings can be changed by an admin under Settings → Server, and take effect straight away, with no restart. The same settings can be set in .env instead.

A setting’s value comes from the first of these that has one:

1. The environment. The web app shows it but can’t change it (“Set by SMTP_URL on the server”). An empty variable counts as unset.
2. Settings → Server, set by an admin.
3. The default.

Secrets entered in the web app (the SMTP address, the weather API key, and people’s assignor calendar links) are stored encrypted with a key made from AUTH_SECRET, and never sent back. After a new AUTH_SECRET they count as unset, and have to be entered again; an assignor calendar pauses and says so.

Set in the environment only

The server needs these before it can read its database or tell who the admins are, or changing them would strand data.

Setting	What it does
AUTH_SECRET	Required. Signs sign-in sessions. At least 32 characters: openssl rand -base64 32.
PUBLIC_URL	The address people and apps use to reach the server.
POSTGRES_PASSWORD	The database password. Set it before the first start.
DATABASE_URL	The database, when running outside Compose. Compose sets this itself.
ADMIN_EMAILS	Admins by email, comma-separated.
PORT	Where port 3000 is published. Use 127.0.0.1:3000 behind a proxy on the same machine. Outside Docker, the port the server listens on.
UPLOADS_DIR	Where photos are kept, when running outside Docker. In Docker it’s the uploads volume, at /data/uploads.
S3_URL	An S3-compatible bucket for photos, instead of a folder.

These are in the environment too, and aren’t in Settings → Server:

Setting	What it does
LAWFIVE_IMAGE	The image to run. Unset, Compose builds from source.
API_URL	The address phones use for the API, if it isn’t PUBLIC_URL.
TRUSTED_PROXIES	The proxies whose word on the visitor’s address is believed: addresses, ranges such as 172.18.0.0/16, or private for any private network. Empty by default, which believes none. Behind a reverse proxy, set it (Set up HTTPS). A mistyped entry stops the server starting, naming it.
TRUSTED_IP_HEADER	The header a second proxy puts the visitor’s address in, such as CF-Connecting-IP. Read only from a proxy in TRUSTED_PROXIES.
PUSH_RELAY_URL	Where notifications to phones go, https://push.lawfive.app by default. off stops them.
RELAY_KEY	Only for a server the push relay has given a key (the hosted service). Leave it unset.
ACCOUNT_STORAGE_LIMIT_MB	Megabytes of photos and tracks for a new server’s first plan; after that, plans set it. No limit by default.

Also in Settings → Server

Setting	What it does	Default
SIGN_UP	open, approval or closed (on the People page). See People and sign-up.	open
SMTP_URL	The SMTP server: smtp://user:password@host:587 for STARTTLS, or smtps://…:465.	No email
MAIL_FROM	Who email comes from: LawFive <lawfive@example.com>.
MAP_STYLE_URL	A MapLibre style, or off for raster tiles.	OpenFreeMap’s Liberty
MAP_STYLE_DARK_URL	The style for dark mode.	OpenFreeMap’s Dark
MAP_STYLE_ATTRIBUTION	The credit the style needs.	OpenFreeMap’s
MAP_TILE_URL	Raster tiles, with {z}/{x}/{y}.	OpenStreetMap’s
MAP_ATTRIBUTION	The credit the tiles need.	OpenStreetMap’s
MAP_SATELLITE_URL	Satellite imagery as a second map layer. Providers need a key.	None
MAP_SATELLITE_ATTRIBUTION	The credit the imagery needs.
GEOCODER_URL	A Nominatim-compatible address search, or off.	https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org
WEATHER_URL	Forecasts from Open-Meteo, or off.	https://api.open-meteo.com
WEATHER_HISTORY_URL	Past weather for played matches that have none, or off.	https://archive-api.open-meteo.com
WEATHER_API_KEY	For Open-Meteo’s paid plan.	None
WEATHER_DAILY_LIMIT	The most weather calls a day.	5000
WEBHOOK_ALLOW_PRIVATE	true lets webhooks send to private and local addresses, and assignor calendars be read from them (and over http), for testing.	Refused

The repository’s .env.example lists all of these with notes.