Server Options

Server Options

MikroChat can be started directly with Node.js from the API release archive. All configuration can be provided via CLI flags, environment variables, or a configuration file.

node lib/mikrochat.mjs

# With options
node lib/mikrochat.mjs --port 3001 --debug

Server Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--port	Port to listen on	3000
--host	Host/bind address	127.0.0.1
--https	Enable HTTPS	false
--http2	Enable HTTP/2	false
--cert	SSL certificate path	-
--key	SSL private key path	-
--ca	SSL CA certificate path	-
--ratelimit	Enable rate limiting	true
--rps	Requests per minute limit	100
--allowed	Comma-separated allowed domains	-
--debug	Enable debug mode	false

Authentication Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--jwtSecret	JWT signing key	-
--appUrl	Base URL for magic links	-
--magicLinkExpirySeconds	Magic link expiry time	900
--jwtExpirySeconds	JWT expiry time	900
--refreshTokenExpirySeconds	Refresh token expiry	604800
--maxActiveSessions	Max sessions per user	3
--authMode	Auth mode	magic-link
--isInviteRequired	Require admin invite	true

Chat Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--initialUserId	Initial admin user ID	-
--initialUserName	Initial admin username	-
--initialUserEmail	Initial admin email	-
--initialUserPassword	Initial admin password	-
--messageRetentionDays	Days to keep messages	30
--maxMessagesPerChannel	Max messages per channel	100

Email Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--emailSubject	Magic link email subject	Your Secure Login Link
--emailHost	SMTP host	-
--emailUser	SMTP username	-
--emailPassword	SMTP password	-
--emailPort	SMTP port	465
--emailSecure	Use secure connection	true
--emailMaxRetries	Max delivery attempts	2

Storage Flags

Flag	Description	Default
--db	Database directory path	mikrochat_db
--encryptionKey	Encryption key for data at rest	-

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
MIKROCHAT_PORT	Server port
PORT	Server port fallback
HOST	Server host
DEBUG	Enable debug mode
AUTH_JWT_SECRET	JWT signing key
APP_URL	Base URL for magic links
INITIAL_USER_ID	Initial admin user ID
INITIAL_USER_NAME	Initial admin username
INITIAL_USER_EMAIL	Initial admin email
INITIAL_USER_PASSWORD	Initial admin password
EMAIL_USER	SMTP username
EMAIL_HOST	SMTP host
EMAIL_PASSWORD	SMTP password
STORAGE_KEY	Encryption key

Configuration File

Create mikrochat.config.json in the working directory:

{
  "auth": {
    "jwtSecret": "your-secret-key",
    "authMode": "magic-link",
    "appUrl": "https://chat.example.com",
    "isInviteRequired": true
  },
  "chat": {
    "initialUser": {
      "userName": "admin",
      "email": "[email protected]",
      "password": ""
    }
  },
  "server": {
    "port": 3000
  }
}

See Configuration for the complete reference.

Configuration Priority

Settings are applied in this order (highest priority first):

1. CLI flags
2. Configuration file (mikrochat.config.json)
3. Default values (which include environment variables)

Examples

Local Testing

# Custom port
node lib/mikrochat.mjs --port 3001 --debug

Production

# With environment variables
MIKROCHAT_PORT=3000 \
AUTH_JWT_SECRET=your-secret \
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.example.com \
[email protected] \
EMAIL_PASSWORD=password \
node lib/mikrochat.mjs

# With HTTPS
node lib/mikrochat.mjs \
  --https \
  --cert /path/to/cert.pem \
  --key /path/to/key.pem

# With rate limiting
node lib/mikrochat.mjs --ratelimit --rps 60

Docker

docker run -d \
  -e MIKROCHAT_PORT=3000 \
  -e AUTH_JWT_SECRET=your-secret \
  -v mikrochat-data:/app/mikrochat_db \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  mikrochat

Debugging

Enable debug mode to see verbose logs:

# Via CLI flag
node lib/mikrochat.mjs --debug

# Via environment variable
DEBUG=true node lib/mikrochat.mjs

Debug mode logs:

• Incoming HTTP requests
• Authentication events
• Database operations
• SSE connection lifecycle
• Email delivery attempts

Health Check

The server exposes a health endpoint:

curl http://127.0.0.1:3000/health
# Returns: OK

Use this for container health checks and load balancer probes.