Environment Variables

Configuration Methods

For Docker and Docker Compose setup instructions, see the Docker Compose Guide.

Environment variables can be configured using:

• Docker Compose: environment section in docker-compose.yml
• Docker: -e flags or --env-file parameter
• .env file: For Node.js setups with pm2, nodemon, or direct execution

warning

For environment variable changes to take effect, your FDM Monster server must be restarted.

Environment Variables Reference

Main Variables

Commonly used configuration options for typical deployments.

Variable	Default	Description
SERVER_PORT	4000	The port the server listens on
NODE_ENV	production	Environment mode: development or production
OVERRIDE_LOGIN_REQUIRED	true	Require login to access the application
OVERRIDE_REGISTRATION_ENABLED	false	Allow new user registration
OVERRIDE_IS_DEMO_MODE	false	Enable demo mode (completes wizard automatically)
OVERRIDE_DEMO_USERNAME	demo	Demo mode username
OVERRIDE_DEMO_PASSWORD	demo2023	Demo mode password
DATABASE_PATH	./database	Path to SQLite database directory
DATABASE_FILE	fdm-monster.sqlite	SQLite database filename
MEDIA_PATH	./media	Path to media storage (logs, files, uploads)

Advanced Variables

Technical configuration options for advanced use cases, debugging, and integrations.

Variable	Default	Description
ENABLE_COLORED_LOGS	false	Enable colored console logs
OVERRIDE_JWT_SECRET	fdm-monster-jwt-secret-2023	JWT secret key (changing invalidates logins)
OVERRIDE_JWT_EXPIRES_IN	3600	JWT expiration in seconds (minimum: 120)
OVERRIDE_JWT_ISSUER	fdm-monster-server-2023	JWT issuer (changing invalidates logins)
OVERRIDE_JWT_AUDIENCE	fdm-monster-client-next-2026	JWT audience (changing invalidates logins)
OVERRIDE_DEMO_ROLE	ADMIN	Demo user role: ADMIN or OPERATOR
GITHUB_PAT	-	GitHub Personal Access Token for client bundle downloads
DEBUG_SOCKET_STATES	false	Enable socket state debugging
ENABLE_PROMETHEUS_METRICS	false	Enable Prometheus metrics endpoint
ENABLE_LOKI	false	Enable Loki logging
LOKI_ADDRESS	-	Loki server address
SENTRY_CUSTOM_DSN	FDM Monster default	Custom Sentry DSN for bug tracking
DISABLE_SWAGGER_OPENAPI	false	Disable Swagger UI and OpenAPI endpoints
GENERATE_SWAGGER_JSON	false	Generate swagger.json file in media folder

Common Configuration Examples

Production Setup

SERVER_PORT=4000
NODE_ENV=production
OVERRIDE_LOGIN_REQUIRED=true
OVERRIDE_REGISTRATION_ENABLED=false
ENABLE_COLORED_LOGS=false

Development Setup

SERVER_PORT=4000
NODE_ENV=development
ENABLE_COLORED_LOGS=true
DEBUG_SOCKET_STATES=true
OVERRIDE_LOGIN_REQUIRED=false
OVERRIDE_JWT_SECRET=your-secure-secret-here
OVERRIDE_JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7200