Step 4

Configuration

Where things live and how to change them after the install wizard.

The .env file

Everything the platform needs is in a single file called .env at the root of the project. The install wizard writes it; you can also edit it by hand.

After editing .env

Run docker compose exec app php artisan config:clear for changes to take effect, or restart the stack with docker compose restart.

Most-edited settings

Key	Default	Purpose
`APP_NAME`	Fchat	Platform name, shown in emails and titles.
`APP_URL`	http://localhost:8000	Public URL the browser uses to reach the platform.
`APP_CENTRAL_DOMAINS`	localhost	Comma-separated list of central (non-tenant) domains.
`APP_DEBUG`	false	Set to `true` only temporarily for debugging. Never on production.
`MAIL_*`	log	SMTP details for transactional email.
`FILESYSTEM_DISK`	minio	`minio` for bundled, `s3` for AWS / Wasabi / R2.
`PLATFORM_STRIPE_SECRET`	(empty)	Used to bill tenants for their platform subscription.

Super admin panel

Most settings can also be edited from the super-admin UI at admin.your-domain.com:

Tenants - create, suspend, impersonate, drop.
Plans - define the platform subscription plans you sell to tenants.
Branding - logo, colours and the public landing page.
Platform gateways - Stripe / PayPal / CCBill etc. credentials for tenant billing.
Token packs - configure the platform-credit packs tenants can buy.
Translations - edit UI strings without touching code.
Languages - enable / disable locales for the whole platform.

Per-tenant configuration

Each tenant has its own admin panel at their-subdomain.your-domain.com/admin:

Their own users, channels and livestreams.
Their own payment gateways (so each tenant can bill their end users).
Their own KYC integration (Yoti), legal pages, branding and domains.

Storage

Avatars, attachments and recordings go to whichever storage you picked in step 4 of the wizard. To switch later:

.env

FILESYSTEM_DISK=s3        # or: minio, wasabi, r2
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIA...
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_BUCKET=fchat-prod
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=eu-west-1
AWS_ENDPOINT=             # leave blank for AWS, set for MinIO/Wasabi/R2

Real-time (Reverb)

Chat, notifications and call signalling go through Reverb (WebSockets). The wizard sets it up; nothing to do unless you put a load balancer in front.

Livestream (LiveKit)

LiveKit handles WebRTC. The default LIVEKIT_API_KEY and LIVEKIT_API_SECRET in .env are randomly generated for you. Rotate them periodically if you want.