Skip to main content
EaseLMS uses environment variables to configure various services and integrations. This guide provides a complete reference for all available variables.

​
Setup Instructions

Create a .env.local file in the apps/lms/ directory of your project: 
cd apps/lms
touch .env.local
Never commit .env.local to version control. It’s already included in .gitignore.

​
Required Variables

These variables are essential for EaseLMS to function:

​
Supabase Configuration

# Supabase Project URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_project_url

# Supabase Anonymous Key (safe to expose in client)
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_supabase_anon_key

# Supabase Service Role Key (keep secret!)
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your_supabase_service_role_key
1

Get Supabase credentials

  1. Go to your Supabase project dashboard
  2. Navigate to Settings → API
  3. Copy the Project URL and API keys
2

Add to .env.local

Paste the values into your .env.local file
The SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY has full database access. Never expose it in client-side code or commit it to version control.

​
Application URL

# The URL where your application is accessible
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
For production, change this to your actual domain: 
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

​
Optional Variables

These variables enable additional features:

​
AWS S3 Storage

Required for uploading course videos, images, and resources. 
# AWS Region
AWS_REGION=us-east-1

# AWS Access Credentials
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_aws_access_key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_aws_secret_key

# S3 Bucket Name
AWS_S3_BUCKET_NAME=your_bucket_name

# CloudFront Domain (optional, for CDN)
AWS_CLOUDFRONT_DOMAIN=your_cloudfront_domain
While optional for development, AWS S3 is highly recommended for production to handle file uploads and video streaming.

​
Payment Gateways

Enable course payments through Stripe and Flutterwave.

​
Stripe

# Stripe Secret Key (server-side)
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...

# Stripe Publishable Key (client-side)
NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
1

Get Stripe keys

  1. Sign up at stripe.com
  2. Go to Developers → API keys
  3. Copy both the secret and publishable keys
2

Use test keys for development

Use keys starting with sk_test_ and pk_test_ for development. Switch to live keys (sk_live_ and pk_live_) for production.

​
Flutterwave

Popular for African markets with multi-currency support. 
# Flutterwave Secret Key (server-side)
FLUTTERWAVE_SECRET_KEY=your_flutterwave_secret_key

# Flutterwave Public Key (client-side)
NEXT_PUBLIC_FLUTTERWAVE_PUBLIC_KEY=your_flutterwave_public_key

​
Currency Exchange Rates

Enable automatic currency conversion using exchangerate-api.com. 
EXCHANGERATE_API_KEY=your_exchangerate_api_key
Get a free API key at exchangerate-api.com. The free tier provides 1,500 requests per month.

​
Email Notifications (SendGrid)

Enable automated email notifications for users and admins. 
# SendGrid API Key
SENDGRID_API_KEY=your_sendgrid_api_key

# From Email Address
SENDGRID_FROM_EMAIL=noreply@yourdomain.com

# From Name
SENDGRID_FROM_NAME=EaseLMS

# Reply-To Address
SENDGRID_REPLY_TO=support@yourdomain.com
1

Create SendGrid account

Sign up at sendgrid.com - free tier includes 100 emails/day
2

Generate API key

  1. Go to Settings → API Keys
  2. Click Create API Key
  3. Give it full access to Mail Send
  4. Copy the key (shown only once)
3

Verify sender email

  1. Go to Settings → Sender Authentication
  2. Verify your domain or single sender email
  3. Use the verified email as SENDGRID_FROM_EMAIL

​
Email Types Sent

When configured, EaseLMS automatically sends: User Emails:
  • Welcome email on signup
  • Course enrollment confirmation
  • Course completion notification
  • Certificate ready notification
  • Payment confirmation
  • Payment failed alert
Admin Emails:
  • New enrollment notification
  • New payment notification
  • Course completion notification

​
Environment Variable Reference

​
Complete Example

Here’s a complete .env.local file with all variables: 
# ============================================
# REQUIRED - Supabase
# ============================================
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=https://xxxxx.supabase.co
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=eyJhbGc...
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=eyJhbGc...

# ============================================
# REQUIRED - Application
# ============================================
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

# ============================================
# OPTIONAL - AWS S3 Storage
# ============================================
AWS_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIA...
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=wJalr...
AWS_S3_BUCKET_NAME=easelms-uploads
AWS_CLOUDFRONT_DOMAIN=d123456.cloudfront.net

# ============================================
# OPTIONAL - Payment Gateways
# ============================================
# Stripe
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

# Flutterwave
FLUTTERWAVE_SECRET_KEY=FLWSECK_TEST-...
NEXT_PUBLIC_FLUTTERWAVE_PUBLIC_KEY=FLWPUBK_TEST-...

# ============================================
# OPTIONAL - Currency Exchange
# ============================================
EXCHANGERATE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# ============================================
# OPTIONAL - Email (SendGrid)
# ============================================
SENDGRID_API_KEY=SG.xxx...
SENDGRID_FROM_EMAIL=noreply@yourdomain.com
SENDGRID_FROM_NAME=EaseLMS
SENDGRID_REPLY_TO=support@yourdomain.com

​
Variable Naming Conventions

​
Public vs Private Variables

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_* - Safe to expose to the browser, accessible in client-side code
  • No prefix - Server-side only, never sent to the client
Never prefix sensitive keys (like SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY or STRIPE_SECRET_KEY) with NEXT_PUBLIC_ as this would expose them in the browser.

​
Development vs Production

​
Development Setup

# Use localhost
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Use test/sandbox keys for payments
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
FLUTTERWAVE_SECRET_KEY=FLWSECK_TEST-...

​
Production Setup

# Use your actual domain
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

# Use live/production keys
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...
FLUTTERWAVE_SECRET_KEY=FLWSECK-...

​
Deployment Platforms

Different platforms have different ways to set environment variables:

​
Vercel

  1. Go to your project settings
  2. Navigate to Environment Variables
  3. Add each variable with appropriate environment (Production/Preview/Development)
  4. Redeploy to apply changes

​
Railway

  1. Open your project
  2. Go to Variables tab
  3. Add each variable
  4. Changes apply automatically on next deployment

​
Docker

Use an .env file or pass variables in docker-compose.yml: 
services:
  app:
    environment:
      - NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=${NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL}
      - NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=${NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY}
      # ... other variables

​
Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit .env.local or .env files to version control
  2. Use different keys for development and production
  3. Rotate keys regularly, especially after team member changes
  4. Use secrets management in production (AWS Secrets Manager, etc.)
  5. Limit key permissions to only what’s needed
  6. Monitor usage of API keys for unusual activity

​
Troubleshooting

​
Variables not loading

  1. Restart the development server after changing .env.local
  2. Ensure the file is in the correct location: apps/lms/.env.local
  3. Check for syntax errors (no spaces around =)

​
Public variables undefined in browser

Make sure they start with NEXT_PUBLIC_ and restart the dev server.

​
AWS/Stripe/SendGrid not working

Verify:
  1. Keys are correct and not expired
  2. Services are enabled in their respective dashboards
  3. For Stripe: webhook endpoints are configured
  4. For SendGrid: sender email is verified

​
Next Steps

After configuring your environment variables:
  1. Set up your database
  2. Deploy to production
  3. Customize your platform