Configuration reference
Memship is configured through environment variables, typically set in a .env file next to docker-compose.yml. Copy .env.example to .env and adjust. This page documents every setting the backend reads.
Minimum for production: change SECRET_KEY and DB_PASSWORD, set IMAGE_TAG to a released version, and configure email.
Security
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
SECRET_KEY | change-me-in-production | Change this. Signing key for auth tokens. Use a random 64-char string. |
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES | 30 | Access token lifetime in minutes. |
Database
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
DB_PASSWORD | memship | Change this. PostgreSQL password used by Compose. |
DATABASE_URL | postgresql://memship:memship@localhost:5433/memship_db | Full connection string. In Compose it points at the db service. |
Application
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
APP_ENV | development | Set to production for deployments. Affects debug behaviour and API docs exposure. |
APP_VERSION | (from image / git tag) | Baked into the image at build time; leave unset when running published images. |
DEFAULT_LOCALE | es | Default interface language: es, ca, or en. |
CORS_ORIGINS | http://localhost:3000 | Comma-separated list of allowed browser origins. Set to your site URL(s). |
FRONTEND_URL | http://localhost:3000 | Public URL of the frontend; used in email links. |
BACKEND_PUBLIC_URL | http://localhost:8003 | Publicly reachable backend URL for payment-provider callbacks (e.g. Redsys Ds_Merchant_MerchantURL). In production this must be the external hostname the gateway can POST to. |
Ports
Set in .env for the Compose stack (defaults shown in .env.example):
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
HTTP_PORT | 80 | Caddy HTTP port. |
HTTPS_PORT | 443 | Caddy HTTPS port. |
API_PORT | 8003 | Direct backend API port. |
DB_PORT | 5433 | PostgreSQL host port. |
Email
Email is disabled unless either a Resend API key or an SMTP host is set. See Email delivery for a full walkthrough.
Resend (preferred, managed delivery):
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
RESEND_API_KEY | (empty) | Enables Resend delivery. |
RESEND_FROM_EMAIL | (empty) | Verified sender address. |
SMTP (self-hosted alternative):
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
SMTP_HOST | (empty) | Enables SMTP delivery when set. |
SMTP_PORT | 587 | SMTP port. |
SMTP_USER | (empty) | SMTP username. |
SMTP_PASSWORD | (empty) | SMTP password. |
SMTP_FROM | [email protected] | From address. |
SMTP_TLS | true | Use STARTTLS. |
If both are configured, Resend takes precedence.
Background jobs (Celery / Redis)
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
CELERY_BROKER_URL | redis://localhost:6379/0 | Redis broker for async email, recurring billing, reminders. Redis is included in the Compose stack. |
The worker and scheduler (Celery beat) run as part of the stack and power async emails, scheduled fee generation, and payment reminders.
File storage
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
STORAGE_LOCAL_PATH | storage | Local path for uploads (logos, activity images, PDFs). Mounted as a Docker volume — include it in backups. |
MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB | 10 | Maximum upload size in megabytes. |
Server
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
HOST | 0.0.0.0 | Bind address of the backend. |
PORT | 8000 | In-container backend port. |
Migrations
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
RUN_MIGRATIONS | (set to 1 in Compose) | When 1, the backend runs database migrations on startup. See Upgrading. |