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Environment Configuration Guide

Overview

This guide explains all environment variables used in the Interview Quiz Backend application and how to configure them properly.

Quick Start

Copy the example file:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Generate a secure JWT secret:
```
npm run generate:jwt
```

Update database credentials in .env:

DB_USER=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_mysql_password

Validate your configuration:
```
npm run validate:env
```

Environment Variables

Server Configuration

`NODE_ENV`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: development
Values: development, test, production
Description: Application environment mode

`PORT`

Type: Number
Required: Yes
Default: 3000
Range: 1000-65535
Description: Port number for the server

`API_PREFIX`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: /api
Description: API route prefix

Database Configuration

`DB_HOST`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: localhost
Description: MySQL server hostname

`DB_PORT`

Type: Number
Required: Yes
Default: 3306
Description: MySQL server port

`DB_NAME`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: interview_quiz_db
Description: Database name

`DB_USER`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: root
Description: Database username

`DB_PASSWORD`

Type: String
Required: Yes (in production)
Default: Empty string
Description: Database password
Security: Never commit this to version control!

`DB_DIALECT`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: mysql
Values: mysql, postgres, sqlite, mssql
Description: Database type

Database Connection Pool

`DB_POOL_MAX`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 10
Description: Maximum number of connections in pool

`DB_POOL_MIN`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 0
Description: Minimum number of connections in pool

`DB_POOL_ACQUIRE`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 30000 (30 seconds)
Description: Max time (ms) to get connection before error

`DB_POOL_IDLE`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 10000 (10 seconds)
Description: Max idle time (ms) before releasing connection

JWT Authentication

`JWT_SECRET`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Min Length: 32 characters (64+ recommended)
Description: Secret key for signing JWT tokens
Security:
- Generate with: npm run generate:jwt
- Must be different for each environment
- Rotate regularly in production
- Never commit to version control!

`JWT_EXPIRE`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: 24h
Format: Time string (e.g., 24h, 7d, 1m)
Description: JWT token expiration time

Rate Limiting

`RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 900000 (15 minutes)
Description: Time window for rate limiting (ms)

`RATE_LIMIT_MAX_REQUESTS`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 100
Description: Max requests per window per IP

CORS Configuration

`CORS_ORIGIN`

Type: String
Required: Yes
Default: http://localhost:4200
Description: Allowed CORS origin (frontend URL)
Examples:
- Development: http://localhost:4200
- Production: https://yourapp.com

Guest User Configuration

`GUEST_SESSION_EXPIRE_HOURS`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 24
Description: Guest session expiry time in hours

`GUEST_MAX_QUIZZES`

Type: Number
Required: No
Default: 3
Description: Maximum quizzes a guest can take

Logging

`LOG_LEVEL`

Type: String
Required: No
Default: info
Values: error, warn, info, debug
Description: Logging verbosity level

Environment-Specific Configurations

Development

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PASSWORD=your_dev_password
JWT_SECRET=dev_jwt_secret_generate_with_npm_run_generate_jwt
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:4200
LOG_LEVEL=debug

Production

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3000
DB_HOST=your_production_host
DB_PASSWORD=strong_production_password
JWT_SECRET=production_jwt_secret_must_be_different_from_dev
CORS_ORIGIN=https://yourapp.com
LOG_LEVEL=warn

Testing

NODE_ENV=test
PORT=3001
DB_NAME=interview_quiz_db_test
DB_PASSWORD=test_password
JWT_SECRET=test_jwt_secret
LOG_LEVEL=error

Validation

The application automatically validates all environment variables on startup.

Manual Validation

Run validation anytime:

npm run validate:env

Validation Checks

✅ All required variables are set
✅ Values are in correct format (string, number)
✅ Numbers are within valid ranges
✅ Enums match allowed values
✅ Minimum length requirements met
⚠️ Warnings for weak configurations

Security Best Practices

1. JWT Secret

Generate strong, random secrets: npm run generate:jwt
Use different secrets for each environment
Store securely (never in code)
Rotate periodically

2. Database Password

Use strong, unique passwords
Never commit to version control
Use environment-specific passwords
Restrict database user permissions

3. CORS Origin

Set to exact frontend URL
Never use * in production
Use HTTPS in production

4. Rate Limiting

Adjust based on expected traffic
Lower limits for auth endpoints
Monitor for abuse patterns

Troubleshooting

Validation Fails

Check the error messages and fix invalid values:

npm run validate:env

Database Connection Fails

Verify MySQL is running
Check credentials in .env
Test connection: npm run test:db
Ensure database exists

JWT Errors

Verify JWT_SECRET is set
Ensure it's at least 32 characters
Regenerate if needed: npm run generate:jwt

Configuration Module

Access configuration in code:

const config = require('./config/config');

// Server config
console.log(config.server.port);
console.log(config.server.nodeEnv);

// Database config
console.log(config.database.host);
console.log(config.database.name);

// JWT config
console.log(config.jwt.secret);
console.log(config.jwt.expire);

// Guest config
console.log(config.guest.maxQuizzes);

Additional Resources

Remember: Never commit .env files to version control! Only commit .env.example with placeholder values.

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