ENV_SETUP.md

Prerequisites: Create a Project in Google Cloud Console & setup OAuth consent screen

• Project and API Configuration:

  • Go to the Google Cloud Console and create a project.

  • Then search for project in the top search bar.

  • Select Create Project.

    

  • Enter the project name (e.g., Gemini‑Clone) and click Create.

    

• Setup OAuth Consent Screen:

  • In the Cloud Console, select your project and navigate to APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen.

  • Click Get started.

    

  • Fill in all details:

    • App info: enter app name, support email, etc., then click Next.

      

    • User type: select External, then click Next.

      

    • Contact info: enter your email, then click Next.

      

    • Check I agree and click Continue.

      

    • Finally, click Create.

  • Make sure to select your newly created project whenever you use the Cloud Console (use the project selector at top right).

    

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1. Google OAuth Credentials (GOOGLE_ID & GOOGLE_SECRET)

Purpose:
These credentials authenticate your users via Google’s OAuth 2.0 service.

Production Setup Steps:

• Select your project and go to APIs & Services → Credentials.

• Click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID.

• Choose Web application, enter a name, and under:

  • Authorized JavaScript origins, add:

    http://your-production-domain.com
    https://your-production-domain.com
    

  • Authorized redirect URIs, add:

    http://your-production-domain.com/api/auth/callback/google
    https://your-production-domain.com/api/auth/callback/google
    

  

• Click Create.

  

• Copy the Client ID and Client Secret, then in your .env.local (created from .env.sample) add:

  GOOGLE_ID=<your-client-id>
  GOOGLE_SECRET=<your-client-secret>

• Click OK.

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2. Google API Key (NEXT_PUBLIC_API_KEY)

Purpose:
This key authenticates client‑side requests to various Google APIs (Maps, Places, and the Generative Language API).

Production Setup:

• Select your project and go to APIs & Services → Credentials.

• Click Create Credentials → API key.

  

  

• Restrict the API Key:

  1. Click on your new key.

  2. Under API restrictions, select Restrict key.

  3. Choose Generative Language API and click Save.

     

  4. Copy the key and paste it into NEXT_PUBLIC_API_KEY in your .env.local.

Alternative Way for API Key Generation:

Visit https://aistudio.google.com/u/0/apikey, log in with the same Google account, click Create API key, select your project—it will auto‑restrict to the Generative Language API.

Copy that key into NEXT_PUBLIC_API_KEY in your .env.local.

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3. NextAuth Secret (NEXTAUTH_SECRET)

Purpose:
This secret secures sessions and token encryption for NextAuth.

Production Setup:

Note: Node.js must be installed on your system (download from nodejs.org).

• In your project root (dev-gemini-clone), run:

  npx auth secret

  This generates a secure random string and creates .env.local if it doesn’t exist.

• Copy the generated value and set in your .env.local:

  NEXTAUTH_SECRET=<generated-secret>

• Ensure the key name is exactly NEXTAUTH_SECRET.

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4. Base URL for the Application (NEXTAUTH_URL)

Purpose:
This URL specifies your application’s canonical domain for constructing callback URLs and other NextAuth endpoints.

Production Setup:

• Replace your development URL with your production domain in .env.local. For example:

  NEXTAUTH_URL=https://your-production-domain.com

• Ensure this matches exactly the authorized domains in your OAuth credentials.

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5. MongoDB Connection String (MONGODB_URI)

Purpose:
The connection string directs your application to your MongoDB database hosted on Atlas.

Production Setup Using MongoDB Atlas:

• Sign in to MongoDB Atlas and create a cluster.

  

• Click Create → Copy Your database user creds, then Create database user.

  

• Choose Choose Connection Method

  

• Select Compass installed or not, if not: select your OS, download/launch Compass, then click Show password to copy the string:

  

• Paste into MONGODB_URI in your .env.local.

• After that Update Network accesss to your Atlas for access the Cluster from anywhere or from your IP.

• Go to Network Access

• Click on ADD IP ADDRESS

  

• Click on Allow Access from Anywhere and click on confirm

• Now, You can see you allowed your Atlas to access your cluster from anywhere

  

Note: Store your Atlas credentials securely for future use.

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General Best Practices for Production Environments

• Environment Variable Management:
  Use environment‑specific files (e.g., .env.production) excluded from version control, or leverage a secrets manager (Google Secret Manager, AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault).

• Secure Network and Access:
  Restrict access via IP whitelisting, VPNs, or VPCs; enforce HTTPS.

• Regular Auditing and Rotation:
  Monitor, audit, and rotate credentials regularly; set up alerts for unusual activity.

• Logging and Monitoring:
  Implement comprehensive logging/monitoring with cloud or third‑party tools to detect and respond to incidents.