> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://guardiandocs.korymsmith.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment Variables

> Configure Guardian API with environment variables

## Overview

Guardian API can be configured using environment variables in a `.env` file located in the `backend/` directory.

## Configuration File

Create `backend/.env`:

```bash theme={null}
# CORS Configuration (Production)
CORS_ORIGINS=https://guardian.korymsmith.dev,http://localhost:5173,http://127.0.0.1:5173

# Rate Limiting (Optional)
REDIS_URL=rediss://default:<token>@<host>:<port>

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

# Model Configuration
SEXISM_THRESHOLD=0.400

# Severity Thresholds
SEVERITY_HIGH=0.6
SEVERITY_MODERATE=0.3
SEVERITY_LOW=0.1
```

## Environment Variables

### CORS Configuration

<ParamField path="CORS_ORIGINS" type="string" default="https://guardian.korymsmith.dev,http://localhost:5173,http://127.0.0.1:5173,http://localhost:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3000">
  Comma-separated list of allowed frontend origins for CORS

  **Format**: Comma-separated URLs (no spaces)

  **Required**: Recommended for production

  **Example**: `https://guardian.korymsmith.dev,http://localhost:5173,http://127.0.0.1:5173`

  <Warning>
    Never use `"*"` for CORS in production. Always specify exact origins.
  </Warning>

  <Note>
    When deploying to production, ensure your frontend URL is included in this list.
  </Note>
</ParamField>

### Rate Limiting

<ParamField path="REDIS_URL" type="string" default="None">
  Redis connection URL for rate limiting (Upstash compatible)

  **Format**: `rediss://default:<token>@<host>:<port>`

  **Required**: No (rate limiting disabled if not set)

  **Example**: `rediss://default:abc123@redis-12345.upstash.io:6379`
</ParamField>

### Logging

<ParamField path="LOG_LEVEL" type="string" default="INFO">
  Logging level for the application

  **Options**: `DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARNING`, `ERROR`, `CRITICAL`

  **Recommended**: `INFO` for production, `DEBUG` for development
</ParamField>

### Model Configuration

<ParamField path="SEXISM_THRESHOLD" type="float" default="0.400">
  Threshold for sexism classifier

  **Range**: 0.0 to 1.0

  **Default**: 0.400 (optimized for F1 score)

  **Higher values**: Fewer false positives, more false negatives
  **Lower values**: More false positives, fewer false negatives
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="TOXICITY_MODEL_NAME" type="string" default="unitary/unbiased-toxic-roberta">
  HuggingFace model name for toxicity detection

  **Options**: Any HuggingFace toxicity model

  **Default**: `unitary/unbiased-toxic-roberta`
</ParamField>

### Severity Thresholds

<ParamField path="SEVERITY_HIGH" type="float" default="0.6">
  Threshold for "high" severity classification

  **Range**: 0.0 to 1.0

  Scores >= this value are considered "high" severity
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="SEVERITY_MODERATE" type="float" default="0.3">
  Threshold for "moderate" severity classification

  **Range**: 0.0 to 1.0

  Scores >= this value (but \< SEVERITY\_HIGH) are considered "moderate" severity
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="SEVERITY_LOW" type="float" default="0.1">
  Threshold for "low" severity classification

  **Range**: 0.0 to 1.0

  Scores >= this value (but \< SEVERITY\_MODERATE) are considered "low" severity
</ParamField>

## Example Configurations

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Development">
    ```bash theme={null}
    # Development configuration
    LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG
    SEXISM_THRESHOLD=0.400
    # No Redis - rate limiting disabled
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Production">
    ```bash theme={null}
    # Production configuration
    CORS_ORIGINS=https://guardian.korymsmith.dev
    REDIS_URL=rediss://default:token@redis.upstash.io:6379
    LOG_LEVEL=INFO
    SEXISM_THRESHOLD=0.400
    SEVERITY_HIGH=0.6
    SEVERITY_MODERATE=0.3
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Strict Moderation">
    ```bash theme={null}
    # Stricter moderation thresholds
    CORS_ORIGINS=https://guardian.korymsmith.dev,https://app.example.com
    REDIS_URL=rediss://default:token@redis.upstash.io:6379
    LOG_LEVEL=INFO
    SEXISM_THRESHOLD=0.300  # Lower threshold
    SEVERITY_HIGH=0.5       # Lower threshold
    SEVERITY_MODERATE=0.2   # Lower threshold
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Loading Configuration

The API automatically loads the `.env` file on startup:

```python theme={null}
# backend/app/config.py
from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    REDIS_URL: Optional[str] = None
    LOG_LEVEL: str = "INFO"
    SEXISM_THRESHOLD: float = 0.400
    # ... other settings

    class Config:
        env_file = ".env"

settings = Settings()
```

## See Also

* [Rate Limiting](/configuration/rate-limiting) - Configure rate limits
* [Installation](/installation) - Setup guide
* [Quickstart](/quickstart) - Getting started