EZ-Homelab/docs/env-configuration.md

Environment Configuration Guide

This guide explains how to configure the .env file required for your EZ-Homelab deployment.

Prerequisites

Before running the setup scripts, you must create and configure a .env file in the root of the repository.

Step 1: Copy the Example File

# Copy the example file to create your .env file
cp .env.example .env

This ensures you have all the required variables with proper defaults and structure.

Step 2: Edit Your Configuration

Open the newly created .env file and modify the values to match your setup:

# Edit the file with your preferred editor
nano .env  # or use any text editor

Required Variables

The .env file contains the following key variables that you must configure:

# Domain Configuration
DOMAIN=yourdomain.duckdns.org
DUCKDNS_TOKEN=your-duckdns-token
DUCKDNS_SUBDOMAINS=yourdomain

# User Configuration (Linux user IDs)
PUID=1000
PGID=1000

# Default Credentials (used by multiple services)
DEFAULT_USER=admin
DEFAULT_PASSWORD=changeme
DEFAULT_EMAIL=admin@example.com

# Timezone
TZ=America/New_York

# Authelia Secrets (auto-generated by setup script)
AUTHELIA_JWT_SECRET=64-char-secret
AUTHELIA_SESSION_SECRET=64-char-secret
AUTHELIA_STORAGE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=64-char-secret

# VPN Configuration (optional, for download services)
SURFSHARK_PRIVATE_KEY=your-vpn-private-key

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Domain Setup

DuckDNS Configuration:

1. Go to duckdns.org
2. Create an account and get your token
3. Choose your subdomain (e.g., yourname)
4. Your domain will be yourname.duckdns.org

DOMAIN=yourname.duckdns.org
DUCKDNS_TOKEN=your-actual-token-here
DUCKDNS_SUBDOMAINS=yourname

2. User IDs

Get your Linux user and group IDs:

# Run these commands to get your IDs
id -u  # This gives you PUID
id -g  # This gives you PGID

Typically these are both 1000 for the first user.

3. Default Credentials

Set default credentials that will be used by multiple services for easier setup:

DEFAULT_USER=admin
DEFAULT_PASSWORD=changeme
DEFAULT_EMAIL=admin@example.com

Why these variables?

• Many services (Nextcloud, Grafana, databases, etc.) use similar admin credentials
• Setting defaults here makes it easier to manage and remember passwords
• You can change these to your preferred values
• Individual services will use these defaults unless overridden

4. Timezone

Set your timezone. Common options:

• America/New_York
• America/Los_Angeles
• Europe/London
• Asia/Tokyo
• Australia/Sydney

4. Authelia Secrets

⚠️ IMPORTANT: These are auto-generated by the setup script. Do NOT set them manually.

The setup-homelab.sh script will generate secure random secrets for:

• JWT Secret (64 hex characters)
• Session Secret (64 hex characters)
• Storage Encryption Key (64 hex characters)

5. VPN Configuration (Optional)

If you want to route download services through VPN:

1. Get Surfshark WireGuard credentials
2. Extract the private key from your .conf file
3. Add to .env:

SURFSHARK_PRIVATE_KEY=your-private-key-here

Setup Process

Step 1: Copy the Template

# Copy the example file (this creates your .env file)
cp .env.example .env

Step 2: Edit Required Variables

Open .env in your editor and update these essential variables:

# Required: Set your domain
DOMAIN=yourdomain.duckdns.org
DUCKDNS_TOKEN=your-actual-duckdns-token
DUCKDNS_SUBDOMAINS=yourdomain

# User Configuration (Linux user IDs)
PUID=1000
PGID=1000

# Required: Set default credentials
DEFAULT_USER=admin
DEFAULT_PASSWORD=your-secure-password
DEFAULT_EMAIL=your-email@example.com

# Required: Set your timezone
TZ=America/New_York

# Optional: Configure VPN if using download services
# Note: these are not the same as what you use to log into surfshark.com with
SURFSHARK_USERNAME=your-surfshark-username
SURFSHARK_PASSWORD=your-surfshark-password

Step 3: Review and Customize

The .env.example file contains all available configuration options. Review and customize:

• Default Credentials: Used by multiple services for consistency
• Service-Specific Settings: API keys, database passwords, etc.
• Directory Paths: Adjust for your storage setup
• Optional Features: VPN, monitoring, development tools

Validation

After creating your .env file:

# Check that all required variables are set
grep -E "^(DOMAIN|DUCKDNS_TOKEN|PUID|PGID|TZ|DEFAULT_USER|DEFAULT_PASSWORD|DEFAULT_EMAIL)=" .env

# Validate domain format
echo $DOMAIN | grep -E "\.duckdns\.org$"

Security Notes

• Never commit .env files to git
• Keep your DuckDNS token secure
• The setup script generates cryptographically secure secrets for Authelia
• VPN keys should be kept confidential

Troubleshooting

Missing .env file:

Error: .env file not found

→ Copy the example file: cp .env.example .env

Invalid domain:

Error: DOMAIN must end with .duckdns.org

→ Check your domain format in the .env file

Missing DuckDNS token:

Error: DUCKDNS_TOKEN is required

→ Get your token from duckdns.org and add it to .env

Permission issues:

Error: Cannot write to .env

→ Check file permissions: chmod 600 .env