> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shieldhq.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment Variables

> Complete reference for all environment variables

# Environment Variables

Complete reference for configuring SHIELD.

## Required Variables

### Database

```env theme={null}
POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://user:password@host:port/database
```

PostgreSQL connection string using [Neon](https://neon.tech) or your provider.

### Authentication

```env theme={null}
JWT_SECRET=your_random_32_character_string
```

Secret for signing JWT sessions. Generate with:

```bash theme={null}
openssl rand -base64 32
```

### Blockchain RPC

```env theme={null}
BASE_RPC_URL=https://mainnet.base.org
# or for development:
BASE_MAINNET_RPC_URL=https://mainnet.base.org
```

Base network RPC endpoint. Can use public endpoint or private RPC.

### Smart Contracts

```env theme={null}
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0x...
```

Shield contract address on Base mainnet.

### WalletConnect

```env theme={null}
NEXT_PUBLIC_WALLETCONNECT_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
```

Get from [WalletConnect Cloud](https://cloud.walletconnect.com).

### IPFS (Pinata)

```env theme={null}
PINATA_JWT=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...
NEXT_PUBLIC_PINATA_API_KEY=your_pinata_api_key
```

* `PINATA_JWT`: Server-side JWT for IPFS operations
* `NEXT_PUBLIC_PINATA_API_KEY`: Client-side restricted key for uploads

### Upgrade Payments

```env theme={null}
NEXT_PUBLIC_UPGRADE_WALLET_ADDRESS=0x...
NEXT_PUBLIC_USDC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913
USDC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913
UPGRADE_WALLET_ADDRESS=0x...
```

* Upgrade wallet: Where USDC payments are sent
* USDC contract: Base mainnet USDC token address

## Optional Variables

### Application URLs

```env theme={null}
FRONTEND_URL=https://app.shieldhq.xyz
NEXT_PUBLIC_FRONTEND_URL=https://app.shieldhq.xyz
VERCEL_URL=your-project.vercel.app
```

### Admin Configuration

```env theme={null}
ADMIN_ADDRESSES=0x123...,0x456...
SUPER_ADMIN_ADDRESSES=0xabc...,0xdef...
TEAM_ADMIN_ADDRESSES=0x789...,0x012...
```

Comma-separated list of admin wallet addresses.

### Cron Jobs

```env theme={null}
CRON_SECRET=your_cron_secret
```

Secret for authorizing cron job requests.

### Third-Party APIs

```env theme={null}
TALENT_PROTOCOL_API_KEY=your_api_key
ETHERSCAN_API_KEY=your_api_key
```

### Monitoring

```env theme={null}
NEXT_PUBLIC_VERCEL_ANALYTICS_ID=...
SENTRY_DSN=...
```

## Configuration by Environment

### Development

```env theme={null}
NODE_ENV=development
NEXT_PUBLIC_FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/shield
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0x...sepolia...
BASE_RPC_URL=https://sepolia.base.org
```

### Production

```env theme={null}
NODE_ENV=production
NEXT_PUBLIC_FRONTEND_URL=https://app.shieldhq.xyz
FRONTEND_URL=https://app.shieldhq.xyz
POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://...neon.tech/shield
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=0x...mainnet...
BASE_RPC_URL=https://mainnet.base.org
```

## Security Best Practices

### ❌ Never Commit

```
JWT_SECRET
POSTGRES_URL
PINATA_JWT
CRON_SECRET
UPGRADE_WALLET_ADDRESS (private)
```

### ✅ Safe to Expose (NEXT\_PUBLIC\_\*)

```
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS
NEXT_PUBLIC_WALLETCONNECT_PROJECT_ID
NEXT_PUBLIC_FRONTEND_URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_PINATA_API_KEY (restricted)
NEXT_PUBLIC_UPGRADE_WALLET_ADDRESS
NEXT_PUBLIC_USDC_CONTRACT_ADDRESS
```

## Platform-Specific

### Vercel

Add in Project Settings → Environment Variables:

| Name                            | Value            |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| POSTGRES\_URL                   | postgresql://... |
| JWT\_SECRET                     | ...              |
| PINATA\_JWT                     | eyJ...           |
| NEXT\_PUBLIC\_CONTRACT\_ADDRESS | 0x...            |
| ...                             | ...              |

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                    | Likely Cause                          |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| "JWT\_SECRET is missing"   | JWT\_SECRET not set                   |
| "POSTGRES\_URL is missing" | Database URL not configured           |
| IPFS upload fails          | PINATA\_JWT invalid or expired        |
| Contract calls fail        | NEXT\_PUBLIC\_CONTRACT\_ADDRESS wrong |
| Database connection fails  | POSTGRES\_URL malformed               |