How to set up
How to build your AI SaaS with MkSaaS template
MkSaaS requires several environment variables to work correctly. This guide explains how to set them up.
Create a .env file in the root directory of your project, and never commit it to version control.
You can copy the example file as a starting point:
cp env.example .envEnvironment Variables
Core Configuration
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL | The public URL of your site, e.g. http://localhost:3000 for development, https://YOUR-DOMAIN.com for production |
Database
Learn how to set up a database in the Database Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| DATABASE_URL | Database connection URL |
Authentication
Learn how to set up authentication in the Authentication Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| BETTER_AUTH_SECRET | A random string used to hash tokens and sign cookies |
| GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID | Google OAuth client ID (optional) |
| GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET | Google OAuth client secret (optional) |
| GITHUB_CLIENT_ID | GitHub OAuth client ID (optional) |
| GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET | GitHub OAuth client secret (optional) |
Learn how to set up email in the Email Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| RESEND_API_KEY | API key for Resend email service |
Newsletter
Learn how to set up newsletter in the Newsletter Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| RESEND_API_KEY | API key for Resend email service |
Storage
Learn how to set up storage in the Storage Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| STORAGE_REGION | Region for the storage bucket |
| STORAGE_BUCKET_NAME | Name of the storage bucket |
| STORAGE_ACCESS_KEY_ID | Access key ID for the storage bucket |
| STORAGE_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY | Secret access key for the storage bucket |
| STORAGE_ENDPOINT | Endpoint for the storage bucket |
| STORAGE_PUBLIC_URL | Public URL for the storage bucket |
Payment
Learn how to set up payments in the Payment Setup guide.
Select the active provider with NEXT_PUBLIC_PAYMENT_PROVIDER: stripe,
creem, or waffo (default: stripe). Configure only the credentials and
price/product IDs for the provider you use.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| NEXT_PUBLIC_PAYMENT_PROVIDER | Active provider: stripe, creem, or waffo (default: stripe) |
| STRIPE_SECRET_KEY | Stripe secret key |
| STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET | Stripe webhook signing secret |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_PRO_MONTHLY | Stripe price ID for pro monthly subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_PRO_YEARLY | Stripe price ID for pro yearly subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_LIFETIME | Stripe price ID for lifetime subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_CREDITS_BASIC | Stripe price ID for basic credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_CREDITS_STANDARD | Stripe price ID for standard credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_CREDITS_PREMIUM | Stripe price ID for premium credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PRICE_CREDITS_ENTERPRISE | Stripe price ID for enterprise credit package (optional) |
| CREEM_DEBUG | Set to true to use Creem's test API (optional) |
| CREEM_API_KEY | Creem API key |
| CREEM_WEBHOOK_SECRET | Creem webhook signing secret |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_PRO_MONTHLY | Creem product ID for pro monthly subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_PRO_YEARLY | Creem product ID for pro yearly subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_LIFETIME | Creem product ID for lifetime one-time payment |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_CREDITS_BASIC | Creem product ID for basic credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_CREDITS_STANDARD | Creem product ID for standard credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_CREDITS_PREMIUM | Creem product ID for premium credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CREEM_PRODUCT_CREDITS_ENTERPRISE | Creem product ID for enterprise credit package (optional) |
| WAFFO_DEBUG | Set to true to accept sandbox webhooks in a production build (optional, smoke testing only) |
| WAFFO_MERCHANT_ID | Waffo Merchant ID from Dashboard > API & Development |
| WAFFO_PRIVATE_KEY | Waffo private key, server-side only; preserve PEM line breaks with escaped \n |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_PRO_MONTHLY | Waffo product ID for pro monthly subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_PRO_YEARLY | Waffo product ID for pro yearly subscription |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_LIFETIME | Waffo product ID for lifetime one-time payment |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_CREDITS_BASIC | Waffo product ID for basic credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_CREDITS_STANDARD | Waffo product ID for standard credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_CREDITS_PREMIUM | Waffo product ID for premium credit package (optional) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_WAFFO_PRODUCT_CREDITS_ENTERPRISE | Waffo product ID for enterprise credit package (optional) |
AI Features
Learn how to set up AI features in the AI Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| OPENAI_API_KEY | API key for OpenAI |
| FAL_API_KEY | API key for FAL |
| FIREWORKS_API_KEY | API key for Fireworks |
| REPLICATE_API_TOKEN | API key for Replicate |
| GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY | API key for Google Generative AI |
| DEEPSEEK_API_KEY | API key for DeepSeek |
| OPENROUTER_API_KEY | API key for OpenRouter |
Cron Jobs
Learn how to set up cron jobs in the Cron Jobs Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| CRON_JOBS_USERNAME | Username for basic authentication to trigger cron jobs |
| CRON_JOBS_PASSWORD | Password for basic authentication to trigger cron jobs |
Analytics
Learn how to set up analytics in the Analytics Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| GOOGLE_ANALYTICS_ID | Google Analytics ID |
| UMAMI_WEBSITE_ID | Umami Analytics website ID |
| UMAMI_SCRIPT | Umami Analytics script URL |
| OPENPANEL_CLIENT_ID | OpenPanel Analytics client ID |
| PLAUSIBLE_DOMAIN | Plausible Analytics domain |
| PLAUSIBLE_SCRIPT | Plausible Analytics script URL |
| Seline_TOKEN | Seline Analytics token |
| DATAFAST_ANALYTICS_ID | DataFast Analytics ID |
| DATAFAST_ANALYTICS_DOMAIN | DataFast Analytics domain |
Notification
Learn how to set up notification in the Notification Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL | Discord webhook URL for receiving notifications of successful payments |
| FEISHU_WEBHOOK_URL | Feishu webhook URL for receiving notifications of successful payments |
Captcha
Learn how to set up captcha in the Captcha Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| NEXT_PUBLIC_TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY | Turnstile site key |
| TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY | Turnstile secret key |
Chatbox
Learn how to set up chatbox in the Chatbox Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| NEXT_PUBLIC_CRISP_WEBSITE_ID | Crisp website ID for chat features |
Affiliates
Learn how to set up affiliates in the Affiliates Setup guide.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| NEXT_PUBLIC_AFFILIATE_AFFONSO_ID | Affonso affiliate ID |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_AFFILIATE_PROMOTEKIT_ID | Promotekit affiliate ID |
Other Configurations
Some other configurations are also available in the .env file, you may need to set them up depending on your needs.
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| DISABLE_IMAGE_OPTIMIZATION | Disable image optimization, if you deploy your website to Vercel, image optimization is enabled by default, and may cost you more money |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_WEBSITE | Run this website as demo website, I use this for MkSaaS demo website. In most cases, you should not set this or leave it to false |
Verifying Environment Variables
To verify that your environment variables are correctly set up, run:
pnpm run devIf everything is configured correctly, your application should start without any environment-related errors.
Next Steps
Now that your environment is set up, explore these related topics:
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