The Pikarc backend is configured via environment variables with the PIKARC_ prefix. Settings can also be loaded from a .env file.
Database
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
PIKARC_DB_HOST | string | localhost | PostgreSQL host |
PIKARC_DB_PORT | integer | 5432 | PostgreSQL port |
PIKARC_DB_USER | string | pikarc | PostgreSQL user |
PIKARC_DB_PASSWORD | string | pikarc | PostgreSQL password |
PIKARC_DB_NAME | string | pikarc | PostgreSQL database name |
postgresql+asyncpg://{user}:{password}@{host}:{port}/{name}
Redis
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
PIKARC_REDIS_URL | string | redis://localhost:6379/0 | Redis connection URL |
Authentication
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
PIKARC_JWT_SECRET | string | change-me-in-production | JWT signing secret. Also used to derive the Fernet key for API key encryption. |
PIKARC_JWT_ALGORITHM | string | HS256 | JWT signing algorithm |
PIKARC_JWT_EXPIRY_HOURS | integer | 24 | JWT token lifetime in hours |
Always change PIKARC_JWT_SECRET in production. The default value is insecure.
Stripe (Optional)
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
PIKARC_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY | string | null | null | Stripe secret key. When not set, plan changes are direct DB updates. |
PIKARC_STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET | string | null | null | Stripe webhook signing secret |
PIKARC_STRIPE_PRO_PRICE_ID | string | null | null | Stripe Price ID for the Pro plan |
PIKARC_STRIPE_SCALE_PRICE_ID | string | null | null | Stripe Price ID for the Scale plan |
PIKARC_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY is not configured, the billing system degrades gracefully — plan changes happen via direct database updates with no payment required. This is the default for local development.
Email (Optional)
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
PIKARC_RESEND_API_KEY | string | null | null | Resend API key for sending emails |
PIKARC_EMAIL_FROM | string | Pikarc <noreply@pikarc.dev> | Sender address for emails |
PIKARC_RESEND_API_KEY is not configured, emails are logged to the console instead of sent.
Application
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
PIKARC_DEBUG | boolean | false | Enables SQLAlchemy echo and FastAPI debug mode |
PIKARC_CORS_ORIGINS | list[string] | ["http://localhost:3000"] | Allowed CORS origins |
PIKARC_FRONTEND_URL | string | http://localhost:3000 | Frontend URL (used for email links and Stripe redirects) |
Frontend
The frontend has a single environment variable:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL | http://localhost:8000 | Backend API URL |
Example .env File
# Database
PIKARC_DB_HOST=localhost
PIKARC_DB_PORT=5432
PIKARC_DB_USER=pikarc
PIKARC_DB_PASSWORD=your-secure-password
PIKARC_DB_NAME=pikarc
# Redis
PIKARC_REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379/0
# Auth
PIKARC_JWT_SECRET=your-production-secret-here
# Stripe (optional)
PIKARC_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...
PIKARC_STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...
PIKARC_STRIPE_PRO_PRICE_ID=price_...
PIKARC_STRIPE_SCALE_PRICE_ID=price_...
# Email (optional)
PIKARC_RESEND_API_KEY=re_...
