Environment Variables

Nenyax is envless by default — no .env files are needed for local development. All infrastructure defaults are hardcoded in the code to match the docker-compose port mappings. Provider API keys (LiveKit, Google, Resemble, Twilio, STT) are managed through the API Keys dashboard page, encrypted in the database.

When are `.env` files needed?

Mode	`.env` files needed?
Local dev (DB + MinIO in Docker, services local)	No — code defaults work
Docker dev (`docker compose up`)	Root `.env` optional — compose has defaults
Production (`docker-compose.prod.yml`)	Root `.env` auto-generated by install script

Only create a .env file if you need to override a default.

Local Dev Defaults

These are hardcoded in config.py, auth.ts, and api.ts:

Setting	Default	Notes
`POSTGRES_PASSWORD`	`nenyax`	Matches docker-compose default
`DB_HOST`	`localhost`
`DB_PORT`	`5434`	docker-compose maps 5434→5432
`MINIO_ENDPOINT`	`localhost:9002`	docker-compose maps 9002→9000
`MINIO_ACCESS_KEY`	`minioadmin`
`MINIO_SECRET_KEY`	`minioadmin`
`MINIO_BUCKET`	`nenyax`
`FRONTEND_URL`	`http://localhost:3000`	CORS origin
`NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL`	`http://localhost:8000/api`
`BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`	`authsecret123`	Override in production
`DATABASE_URL` (frontend)	`postgresql://postgres:nenyax@localhost:5434/nenyax`

Root `.env` (Docker Compose)

Only used when running via docker compose up. The compose files have defaults, so this is optional for dev:

Variable	Default	Description
`POSTGRES_PASSWORD`	`nenyax`	PostgreSQL password
`BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`	`authsecret123`	Session encryption secret (override for production)
`MINIO_ROOT_USER`	`minioadmin`	MinIO access key
`MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD`	`minioadmin`	MinIO secret key

Backend (`backend/.env`)

Not needed for local dev. All defaults are in config.py. Only create to override:

Variable	Default	Description
`POSTGRES_PASSWORD`	`nenyax`	PostgreSQL password
`DATABASE_URL`	Auto-built	Full connection string (overrides auto-built URL)
`DB_HOST`	`localhost`	Set to `postgres` in Docker
`DB_PORT`	`5434`	Set to `5432` in Docker

Provider keys set in .env are used as fallback — the dashboard takes priority.

Frontend (`frontend/.env`)

Not needed for local dev. All defaults are in auth.ts and api.ts. Only create to override:

Variable	Default	Description
`NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL`	`http://localhost:8000/api`	Backend API URL
`DATABASE_URL`	`postgresql://postgres:nenyax@localhost:5434/nenyax`	Better Auth database
`BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`	`authsecret123`	Session encryption
`BETTER_AUTH_URL`	`http://localhost:3000`	Auth callback URL

Agent

No .env file needed. On startup, it calls the backend’s /api/settings/keys/agent endpoint and injects all keys into the process environment.

Variable	Default	Description
`BACKEND_API_URL`	`http://localhost:8000/api`	Only set if backend runs elsewhere

Dashboard-Managed Keys

These keys are configured at API Keys in the dashboard. They are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stored in the database.

Provider	Keys	Purpose
LiveKit	API Key, API Secret, Server URL	Real-time voice infrastructure
Google	API Key	Gemini LLM for conversational intelligence
Resemble AI	API Key	Text-to-speech voice synthesis
Twilio	Account SID, Auth Token	Phone number management and SIP telephony
AssemblyAI	API Key	Speech-to-text (STT option)
Deepgram	API Key	Speech-to-text (STT option)
ElevenLabs	API Key	Speech-to-text (STT option)

Auto-Provisioned (No Config Needed)

These were previously environment variables but are now fully automated:

Old Variable	What Happens Now
`TWILIO_SIP_DOMAIN`	Auto-derived from `LIVEKIT_URL`
`LIVEKIT_SIP_TRUNK_ID`	Auto-provisioned on first outbound call
`ENCRYPTION_KEY`	Auto-generated and stored in database on first boot
`FRONTEND_URL`	Defaults to `http://localhost:3000`
`PORT`	Defaults to `8000`
`DEBUG`	Defaults to `true`

Custom Agent Infrastructure

These variables are only needed if you override the defaults for custom Python agents:

Variable	Default	Description
`MINIO_ENDPOINT`	`localhost:9002`	MinIO server address
`MINIO_ACCESS_KEY`	`minioadmin`	MinIO access key
`MINIO_SECRET_KEY`	`minioadmin`	MinIO secret key
`MINIO_BUCKET`	`nenyax`	MinIO bucket name
`DOCKER_SOCKET`	`unix:///var/run/docker.sock`	Docker socket path
`BASE_AGENT_IMAGE`	`nenyax-agent-base:latest`	Base Docker image for custom agents
`CONTAINER_NETWORK`	`nenyax_default`	Docker network for agent containers
`CONTAINER_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`	`3600`	Timeout for custom agent containers
`CODING_AGENT_PROVIDER`	`gemini`	AI provider for the coding assistant

Telemetry

Variable	Default	Description
`NEXT_PUBLIC_TELEMETRY`	`true`	Set to `false` to disable anonymous product telemetry (PostHog)

Nenyax collects anonymous usage telemetry (page views, feature usage) via PostHog to help improve the product. No personal data or conversation content is collected. Set NEXT_PUBLIC_TELEMETRY=false to opt out.

Getting Started

Architecture

Configuration

Features

Environment Variables

Environment Variables

When are `.env` files needed?

Local Dev Defaults

Root `.env` (Docker Compose)

Backend (`backend/.env`)

Frontend (`frontend/.env`)

Agent

Dashboard-Managed Keys

Auto-Provisioned (No Config Needed)

Custom Agent Infrastructure

Telemetry

​Environment Variables

​When are .env files needed?

​Local Dev Defaults

​Root .env (Docker Compose)

​Backend (backend/.env)

​Frontend (frontend/.env)

​Agent

​Dashboard-Managed Keys

​Auto-Provisioned (No Config Needed)

​Custom Agent Infrastructure

​Telemetry

Environment Variables

When are `.env` files needed?

Local Dev Defaults

Root `.env` (Docker Compose)

Backend (`backend/.env`)

Frontend (`frontend/.env`)

Agent

Dashboard-Managed Keys

Auto-Provisioned (No Config Needed)

Custom Agent Infrastructure

Telemetry