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+# DebateAI Backend Environment Configuration
+# Copy this file to .env and fill in your actual values
+
+# =============================================================================
+# SERVER CONFIGURATION
+# =============================================================================
+# Port number for the backend server
+SERVER_PORT=1313
+
+# Application environment (development, staging, production)
+APP_ENV=development
+
+# Configuration file path (optional, defaults to ./config/config.prod.yml)
+CONFIG_PATH=./config/config.prod.yml
+
+# =============================================================================
+# DATABASE CONFIGURATION
+# =============================================================================
+# MongoDB connection string
+# For MongoDB Atlas: mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster-url>/<database-name>
+# For local MongoDB: mongodb://localhost:27017/debateai
+DATABASE_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/debateai
+
+# =============================================================================
+# AI SERVICE CONFIGURATION
+# =============================================================================
+# Google Gemini API Key
+# Get from: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/api-key
+GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here
+
+# OpenAI API Key (if using OpenAI models)
+# Get from: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
+OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
+
+# =============================================================================
+# JWT CONFIGURATION
+# =============================================================================
+# Secret key for JWT token signing (generate with: openssl rand -hex 32)
+JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here
+
+# JWT token expiry time in minutes (1440 = 24 hours)
+JWT_EXPIRY=1440
+
+# =============================================================================
+# EMAIL CONFIGURATION (SMTP)
+# =============================================================================
+# SMTP server configuration for sending emails
+SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
+SMTP_PORT=587
+
+# Email credentials
+SMTP_USERNAME=your_email@gmail.com
+SMTP_PASSWORD=your_app_password_here
+
+# Sender information
+SENDER_EMAIL=your_email@gmail.com
+SENDER_NAME="DebateAI Team"
+
+# =============================================================================
+# GOOGLE OAUTH CONFIGURATION
+# =============================================================================
+# Google OAuth Client ID for social login
+# Get from: Google Cloud Console > APIs & Services > Credentials
+GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID=your_google_oauth_client_id_here
+
+# =============================================================================
+# AWS COGNITO CONFIGURATION (if using AWS Cognito)
+# =============================================================================
+# AWS Cognito configuration
+COGNITO_APP_CLIENT_ID=your_cognito_app_client_id
+COGNITO_APP_CLIENT_SECRET=your_cognito_app_client_secret
+COGNITO_USER_POOL_ID=your_cognito_user_pool_id
+COGNITO_REGION=us-east-1
+
+# =============================================================================
+# REDIS CONFIGURATION (Optional - for real-time features)
+# =============================================================================
+# Redis connection URL (optional, for real-time debate features)
+# For local Redis: redis://localhost:6379
+# For Redis Cloud: redis://username:password@host:port
+REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
+
+# Redis password (if required)
+REDIS_PASSWORD=
+
+# Redis database number (default: 0)
+REDIS_DB=0
+
+# =============================================================================
+# DEVELOPMENT/TESTING
+# =============================================================================
+# Set to true to enable debug endpoints and test features
+DEBUG_MODE=true
+
+# =============================================================================
+# INSTRUCTIONS
+# =============================================================================
+# 1. Copy this file to .env: cp .env.example .env
+# 2. Fill in your actual values for each variable
+# 3. Never commit the .env file to version control
+# 4. Make sure to add .env to your .gitignore file
+#
+# Required for basic functionality:
+# - DATABASE_URI
+# - GEMINI_API_KEY (for AI features)
+# - JWT_SECRET
+# - SMTP credentials (for email features)
+#
+# Optional but recommended:
+# - REDIS_URL (for real-time debate features)
+# - GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID (for social login)
+#
+# For production deployment:
+# - Set APP_ENV=production
+# - Use strong, unique values for all secrets
+# - Use environment-specific database and Redis instances