Configuration (.env reference)

WhatsMine is configured through the .env file in the project root. Many things (branding, integrations, payment gateways, email) can also be configured later from the admin panel — but the core application settings live here.

Admin panel vs. .env

For most third-party services (Meta, AI, SMS, payment gateways, Pusher) you can store credentials in the admin panel instead of .env. The admin panel stores them encrypted in the database and lets you test them with one click. See Integrations. The .env file is mainly for the application core (app URL, database, cache, queue).

After changing .env on a production server, refresh the config cache:

php artisan config:clear   # then, in production:
php artisan config:cache

Application

Variable	Default	Purpose
`APP_NAME`	`WhatsMine`	The application/brand name.
`APP_ENV`	`local`	`local`, `staging` or `production`.
`APP_KEY`	(generated)	Encryption key — set automatically by the installer.
`APP_DEBUG`	`true`	Set to `false` in production.
`APP_URL`	—	Your full public URL, e.g. `https://your-domain.com`. Used for webhook callbacks and links.
`APP_LOCALE`	`en`	Default language.
`APP_FALLBACK_LOCALE`	`en`	Language used when a translation is missing.
`APP_DEMO_MODE`	`false`	Read-only public showcase mode. See Demo Mode.
`BCRYPT_ROUNDS`	`12`	Password hashing cost.

Database

Variable	Default	Purpose
`DB_CONNECTION`	`mysql`	`mysql` (recommended) or `sqlite`.
`DB_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	Database host.
`DB_PORT`	`3306`	Database port.
`DB_DATABASE`	—	Database name.
`DB_USERNAME`	—	Database user.
`DB_PASSWORD`	—	Database password.

Cache, queue, sessions & storage

Variable	Default	Recommended (production)
`CACHE_STORE`	`database`	`redis`
`QUEUE_CONNECTION`	`sync`	`database` or `redis` — must not be `sync` in production
`SESSION_DRIVER`	`database`	`database` or `redis`
`SESSION_LIFETIME`	`120`	minutes
`BROADCAST_CONNECTION`	`log`	`pusher` or `reverb` for real-time
`FILESYSTEM_DISK`	`local`	`s3` for cloud storage

Queue connection matters

If QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync, background work runs inside the web request and emails, campaigns and inbound message processing will be slow or silently fail under load. Use database or redis plus a running queue worker in production. See Deployment.

Mail

Variable	Default	Purpose
`MAIL_MAILER`	`log`	`smtp`, `ses`, `postmark`, `mailgun`, `resend`, etc. `log` only writes to a file — change it for production.
`MAIL_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	SMTP host.
`MAIL_PORT`	`2525`	SMTP port.
`MAIL_USERNAME` / `MAIL_PASSWORD`	—	SMTP credentials.
`MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS`	`hello@example.com`	Default sender address.
`MAIL_FROM_NAME`	`${APP_NAME}`	Default sender name.

You can also configure SMTP from Admin → Email System instead — see Email System.

Real-time (Pusher / Reverb)

For live inbox updates, set BROADCAST_CONNECTION=pusher and provide credentials (these can also be set in Admin → Real-time Settings):

Variable	Purpose
`PUSHER_APP_ID` / `PUSHER_APP_KEY` / `PUSHER_APP_SECRET`	Pusher credentials.
`PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER`	e.g. `mt1`, `eu`, `ap1`.
`VITE_PUSHER_APP_KEY` / `VITE_PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER`	Frontend copies (usually mirror the above).

To self-host real-time instead, use Laravel Reverb (REVERB_* variables). See Real-time & Push.

Billing gateways

Enable/disable each gateway and set its keys (or configure from Admin → Payment Gateways):

Variable	Purpose
`BILLING_STRIPE_ENABLED`	Turn Stripe on/off.
`STRIPE_SECRET` / `STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET`	Stripe keys.
`BILLING_PAYPAL_ENABLED`	Turn PayPal on/off.
`PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID` / `PAYPAL_CLIENT_SECRET` / `PAYPAL_WEBHOOK_ID`	PayPal keys.
`PAYPAL_SANDBOX`	`true` for sandbox, `false` for live.
`BILLING_PADDLE_ENABLED`	Turn Paddle on/off.
`PADDLE_API_KEY` / `PADDLE_WEBHOOK_SECRET`	Paddle keys.
`PADDLE_ENVIRONMENT`	`sandbox` or `production`.

See Payments Integration for the full setup.

AI

Variable	Default	Purpose
`AI_PROVIDER`	`openai`	Default LLM provider.
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	—	OpenAI key (or set in admin).
`OPENAI_MODEL`	`gpt-4o-mini`	Default chat model.
`QDRANT_URL`	—	Optional Qdrant vector DB. If empty, an in-database fallback is used.

Push notifications

Variable	Purpose
`VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY` / `VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY`	Web Push keys — generate with `php artisan webpush:vapid`.
`ONESIGNAL_APP_ID` / `ONESIGNAL_REST_API_KEY`	Optional OneSignal push.

Cloud storage (Amazon S3 and compatible)

Set FILESYSTEM_DISK=s3 and:

Variable	Purpose
`AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID` / `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`	Credentials.
`AWS_DEFAULT_REGION`	e.g. `us-east-1`.
`AWS_BUCKET`	Bucket name.
`AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT`	`true` for S3-compatible services (Spaces/Wasabi).

Error tracking (optional)

Variable	Purpose
`SENTRY_LARAVEL_DSN`	Enable Sentry error tracking.
`SENTRY_TRACES_SAMPLE_RATE`	Performance sampling rate (0–1).

➡️ Once configured, run the Going Live Checklist.