Configuration

ChatCart has two kinds of settings: environment variables in .env.local for the server, and admin settings for everything that belongs to a store. All .env* files except .env.example are ignored by git.

Core

Variable	Required	Description
`MONGODB_URI`	Yes	The MongoDB connection string, local or Atlas. Example: `mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/chatcart`.
`JWT_SECRET`	Yes	Signs admin and customer logins. At least 16 characters; 32 or more is recommended.
`APP_URL`	Recommended	Your public address, such as `https://shop.example.com`. Used for the full links in the sitemap and robots file.
`UPLOAD_DIR`	No	The folder where uploaded images are saved and served from. Default: `public/uploads`. On a server, use a folder outside the app.
`NEXTAUTH_SECRET`	No	Another name for `JWT_SECRET`. If both are set, `JWT_SECRET` is used.
`NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_MODE`	No	For a public online demo only. Leave it empty in your own install.

The app never connects to the database during npm run build. If the database is missing or cannot be reached while the app runs, pages show a friendly message instead of crashing.

Admin account (used by the scripts only)

npm run seed and npm run create-admin read these. The app itself does not.

Variable	Description
`ADMIN_NAME`	The owner's display name. When empty: `Admin` (create-admin) or `Demo Owner` (seed).
`ADMIN_EMAIL`	The owner's email. When empty, create-admin asks for it, and the seed uses `[email protected]`.
`ADMIN_PASSWORD`	The owner's password. When empty, create-admin asks for it, and the seed uses the public demo password `ChangeMe123!`. create-admin refuses the demo passwords.
`SEED_WHATSAPP_NUMBER`	Gives both demo stores this WhatsApp number instead of the placeholders, so test orders reach your phone.

Image uploads

Images you upload in the admin (products, categories, blog covers, banners, logo, favicon) are saved on the server and served at /uploads/<file> by the app itself, so they work after npm run build with no rebuild. JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF and AVIF are accepted, up to 5 MB each. Each file is checked by its content, not its name. SVG is refused because it can carry scripts.

Serverless hosts such as Vercel and Netlify delete files between deployments. There, host your images elsewhere and use their HTTPS links (the product CSV import accepts any HTTPS image URL), or deploy to a VPS with a fixed UPLOAD_DIR.

Store settings in the admin

Settings, General: name, WhatsApp number, currency, languages and default language, SEO (meta title, description, share image), and analytics (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel).
Settings, Fulfillment: delivery, pickup and dine-in on or off, the delivery fee, a free-delivery threshold, and shipping zones with their own fees.
Settings, WhatsApp message: the order message. See WhatsApp template.
Stores: mode (Store, QR menu, Link in bio), slug, custom domains, active or not, the default store, and the features (customer accounts, reviews with optional auto-approve, blog, newsletter) and display currencies of each store.
Appearance and Content: see Branding your store.

Display currencies: shoppers can switch the currency they see, using the rates you enter. Orders are always placed in the store currency. A new store starts with English and USD.

Theming: the brand color and corner radius are applied as CSS variables (--primary, --brand, --ring, --radius) on every request. Anything beyond these two settings is in app/globals.css.