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Environment Setup

Proper environment setup is essential for running MongoNext locally and in production. This guide covers configuring environment variables, connecting to MongoDB Atlas, and preparing your development environment.

1. Environment Variables​

MongoNext uses a .env.local file to manage sensitive configuration. In your project root, create a file named .env.local and add the following:

MONGODB_URI=your-mongodb-atlas-connection-string
NEXTAUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=your-random-secret
  • MONGODB_URI: Your MongoDB Atlas connection string. How to get this?
  • NEXTAUTH_URL: The base URL of your app (use http://localhost:3000 for local development).
  • NEXTAUTH_SECRET: A random string used to sign authentication tokens. You can generate one with openssl rand -base64 32.

2. MongoDB Atlas Setup​

  1. Create a free MongoDB Atlas account at mongodb.com/atlas.
  2. Create a new cluster (the free tier is fine for development).
  3. Add a database user with read/write access.
  4. Whitelist your IP address (or 0.0.0.0/0 for development, but restrict in production).
  5. Get your connection string from the Atlas dashboard and use it as MONGODB_URI in your .env.local.

3. Local Development Tips​

  • Restart your dev server after changing environment variables.
  • Never commit .env.local to version control (it's in .gitignore by default).
  • For production, set these variables in your deployment platform (e.g., Vercel dashboard).

You are now ready to run MongoNext locally! Continue to the next section for a deep dive into the project architecture and core concepts.