Configuration

Kite reads its settings from environment variables, or from a .env file in the directory it starts in. It checks them all at startup and refuses to start, naming the problem, if any is missing or invalid.

Variable	Required	Default	Description
KITE_PUBLIC_BASE_URL	yes		The public URL of this server. Providers send deposit callbacks to it, and checkout links are built from it.
KITE_PG_DB_URL	yes		Postgres connection URL, such as postgres://user:password@host:5432/kite.
KITE_ENCRYPTION_KEY	yes		32 random bytes, base64. Encrypts provider keys and webhook secrets at rest.
KITE_OPERATOR_MNEMONIC	yes		BIP-39 mnemonic of the operator wallet, which settles and refunds transfers.
KITE_ROOT_KEY	yes		At least 16 characters. Signs you into the dashboard and grants full API access.
KITE_PORT		3000	Port to listen on.
KITE_ENABLE_DASHBOARD		true	Serve the dashboard. The checkout at /pay is served either way.
KITE_ENABLE_OPENAPI_UI_SPECS		true	Serve the interactive API docs at /openapi and the spec at /openapi/json.
KITE_ENABLE_OPENAPI_UI_PROVIDER		scalar	scalar or swagger.
KITE_IS_TESTNET		false	Run on testnets instead of mainnets. See Testnets.

Generating secrets

# KITE_ENCRYPTION_KEY
openssl rand -base64 32

# KITE_ROOT_KEY
openssl rand -base64 48

For the mnemonic, create a new wallet just for Kite with any wallet that shows its recovery phrase, and use it for nothing else.

Keep these safe

• KITE_ENCRYPTION_KEY: lose it and the server can’t read the provider keys and webhook secrets it stored. Changing it has the same effect.
• KITE_OPERATOR_MNEMONIC: it controls the operator wallet, which can settle, refund and recover every transfer’s funds.
• KITE_ROOT_KEY: anyone with it can do anything through the API. Use API keys for your applications instead.

Not environment variables

Provider keys for QuickNode and Alchemy are set from the dashboard’s Providers page and stored encrypted in the database. See Providers.