Environment variables

This page describes the environment variables that are supported in the config/variables.env file for Toolkit deployments.

The config/variables.env file consists of variable definitions in the form NAME=value, lines beginning with # are treated as comments.

It is necessary that you re-create the Docker containers after changing anything in overleaf.rc or variables.env by running bin/up.

All versions

These environment variables are compatible with Server CE and Server Pro you with an easy migration path between these two on-premise versions. They can also be used with both Toolkit and Docker Compose deployments.

Previously these variables were called SHARELATEX_

Name	Description
OVERLEAF_SITE_URL	Where your instance of Overleaf is publicly available. This is used in public links, and when connecting over websockets, so must be configured correctly!
OVERLEAF_ADMIN_EMAIL	The email address where users can reach the person who runs the site.
OVERLEAF_APP_NAME	The name to display when talking about the running application. Defaults to 'Overleaf (Community Edition)'.
OVERLEAF_MONGO_URL and MONGO_URL	The URL of the Mongo database to use.
OVERLEAF_REDIS_HOST and REDIS_HOST	The host name of the Redis instance to use. Both are required (see release notes)
OVERLEAF_REDIS_PORT and REDIS_PORT	The port of the Redis instance to use. Both are required (see release notes)
OVERLEAF_REDIS_PASS and REDIS_PASSWORD	The password to use when connecting to Redis (if applicable). Both environment variables need to be set. See enabling password authentication for more infomration.
OVERLEAF_REDIS_TLS	If set to true, allows for the connection to a Redis instance requiring TLS. Note: mTLS is currently not supported.
OVERLEAF_NAV_TITLE	Set the tab title of the application
OVERLEAF_SESSION_SECRET	A random string which is used to secure tokens, if load balancing this needs to be set to the same toke across boxes. If only 1 instance is being run it does not need to be set by the user.
OVERLEAF_COOKIE_SESSION_LENGTH	This environment variable allows you to override the default session cookie expiration time of 5 days. The override value provided should be specified in milliseconds. For example, to make the session last for 1 hour, set COOKIE_SESSION_LENGTH=3600000. (Added in Server Pro 4.2)
OVERLEAF_BEHIND_PROXY	Set to true if running behind a proxy like nginx/apache allowing it to correctly detect the forwarded IP address
OVERLEAF_SECURE_COOKIE	Set this to something non-zero to use a secure cookie. Only use this if your Overleaf instance is running behind a reverse proxy with SSL configured.
OVERLEAF_RESTRICT_INVITES_TO_EXISTING_ACCOUNTS	If set to true, will restrict project invites to email addresses which correspond with existing user accounts.
OVERLEAF_ALLOW_PUBLIC_ACCESS	If set to true, will allow non-authenticated users to view the site. The default is false, which means non-authenticated users will be unconditionally redirected to the login page when they try to view any part of the site. Note, setting this option does not disable authentication or security in any way. This option is necessary if your users intend to make their projects public and have non-authenticated users view those projects.
OVERLEAF_ALLOW_ANONYMOUS_READ_AND_WRITE_SHARING	If set to true, will allow anonymous users to view and edit projects shared via the new
EMAIL_CONFIRMATION_DISABLED	When set to true the banner requesting email confirmation won't be displayed.
ADDITIONAL_TEXT_EXTENSIONS	an array of strings to configure additional extensions for editable files
OVERLEAF_STATUS_PAGE_URL	Custom status page URL (Added in Server Pro 3.4.0), e.g. status.example.com
OVERLEAF_FPH_INITIALIZE_NEW_PROJECTS	set to 'false' to prevent new projects from being initialised with Full Project History (Added in Server Pro 3.5.0)
OVERLEAF_FPH_DISPLAY_NEW_PROJECTS	set to 'false' to prevent new projects from displaying Full Project History instead of the legacy history (Added inServer Pro 3.5.0)
ENABLE_CRON_RESOURCE_DELETION	Set this environment variable to true to enable the automatic clean-up of deleted projects and users after 90 days.
COMPILE_SIZE_LIMIT	Controls the maximum request body size in bytes. This is the sum of all doc file sizes within the project (main.tex, references.bib (if not linked) etc), that needs to be sent in the initial compile request to the CLSI service.
COMPILE_TIMEOUT	This is the amount of time in seconds allowed for a compile to complete. For more information see Updating project compile timeout.
MAX_RECONNECT_GRACEFULLY_INTERVAL_MS	A configurable delay between editor graceful reconnection, data flushing, and container shutdown to mitigate the risk of data loss.
SECCOMP_PROFILE	Set this environment variable to a path on the Docker host machine that points to the SECCOMP profile. You can download a copy of the profile here. Currently needed for Podman deployments when using Sandboxed Compiles.
OVERLEAF_DISABLE_CHAT	If set to true, disables the in-project chat feature.
OVERLEAF_LOGIN_SUPPORT_TEXT	When set, can be used to display support information underneath the login button. Text will be shown on the login screen and can be used to direct users to internal support or provide guidance related to logging in, creating accounts, etc.
ALLOW_MONGO_ADMIN_CHECK_FAILURES	If set to true, allows the MongoDB start-up checks to fail and not prevent the deployment from starting. This may be required if you use a MongoDB database where your database user does not have the clusterParameterReader role. For help on creating a custom role see here.

It is possible to enforce password restrictions on users when using the Overleaf login system (local accounts), not an SSO option such as LDAP. For SSO accounts, password policies will be enforced by your identity provider or directory service, additionally allowing support for multi-factor authentication.