Configuration

IvaraBase works with no configuration on a laptop. On a server you set a few things: the domain, the HTTPS mode, and sometimes Postgres settings. There are three ways, and the first one that sets a value wins:

1. Environment variables (IVARA_*), for example from a Docker compose file or a systemd drop-in.
2. <data>/ivarabase.env: KEY=VALUE lines, read on start. Set IVARA_ENV_FILE to use another file. Real environment variables win over this file.
3. <data>/config.json: written by ivarabase init, service install and ivarabase config set.

Values from 1 and 2 are never written back to config.json, so the compose file or env file stays the one place to change them. ivarabase env lists every variable. Restart after changes.

The data directory is ~/.ivarabase by default (/var/lib/ivarabase for service install, /data in Docker). Set it with --data DIR or IVARA_DATA.

Server

Variable	config.json
IVARA_LISTEN	listen	HTTP address for the UI, API and MCP. Default 127.0.0.1:8787 (0.0.0.0:8787 in Docker)
IVARA_DOMAIN	domain	turns on name-based hosting: panel at https://<domain>, projects at https://<project>.<domain>
IVARA_PUBLIC_URL	public_url	how clients reach the server; worked out from the domain when unset
IVARA_TLS_MODE	tls.mode	auto (Let’s Encrypt on 80/443), files (your certificate), proxy (HTTPS ends at nginx/Caddy/Traefik), off
IVARA_TLS_EMAIL	tls.email	Let’s Encrypt contact
IVARA_TLS_CERT_FILE, IVARA_TLS_KEY_FILE	tls.cert_file, tls.key_file	certificate files. In proxy mode they’re used for Postgres TLS only
IVARA_TRUSTED_PROXIES	trusted_proxies	comma-separated IPs/CIDRs allowed to set X-Forwarded-For. Default: loopback (Docker: loopback + private ranges)
IVARA_DENO_PATH, IVARA_POSTGREST_PATH	deno_path, postgrest_path	found on PATH when unset
IVARA_ADMIN_USER, IVARA_ADMIN_PASSWORD	none	the owner login on the first start only (at least 10 characters)
IVARA_WEBHOOKS_ALLOW_PRIVATE	webhooks_allow_private_targets	1 lets database webhooks call private and loopback addresses (Database webhooks)

ivarabase config set KEY VALUE changes config.json, for example ivarabase config set tls.mode proxy.

Postgres

Variable	config.json
IVARA_PG_PORT	postgres.port	managed cluster port, default 54329
IVARA_PG_LISTEN	postgres.listen_addresses	127.0.0.1 (default) or * for remote connections (TLS required)
IVARA_PG_PUBLIC_HOST	postgres.public_host	host shown in connection strings (default: the domain)
IVARA_PG_BIN_DIR	postgres.bin_dir	folder with postgres, initdb, pg_dump; the newest install is found when unset
IVARA_PG_EXTERNAL_DSN	postgres.external_dsn	use an existing cluster (superuser DSN) instead of a managed one

Postgres tuning

The defaults scale with the memory IvaraBase may use: a container’s cgroup limit when there is one, otherwise the machine’s RAM.

Variable	Postgres setting	Default
IVARA_PG_MAX_CONNECTIONS	max_connections	200
IVARA_PG_SHARED_BUFFERS	shared_buffers	20% of memory, 128 MB to 8 GB
IVARA_PG_EFFECTIVE_CACHE_SIZE	effective_cache_size	60% of memory
IVARA_PG_WORK_MEM	work_mem	(memory − shared_buffers) / (3 × max_connections), 4 MB to 64 MB
IVARA_PG_MAINTENANCE_WORK_MEM	maintenance_work_mem	5% of memory, 64 MB to 1 GB
IVARA_PG_MAX_WAL_SIZE	max_wal_size	1GB
IVARA_PG_RANDOM_PAGE_COST	random_page_cost	1.1 (SSD)
IVARA_PG_MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES	max_worker_processes	Postgres default (8)
IVARA_PG_MAX_PARALLEL_WORKERS	max_parallel_workers	Postgres default (8)
IVARA_PG_STATEMENT_TIMEOUT	statement_timeout	off
IVARA_PG_SET_<NAME>	any other setting	for example IVARA_PG_SET_LOG_MIN_DURATION_STATEMENT=500ms

The same keys work in config.json:

{ "postgres": { "settings": { "shared_buffers": "2GB", "log_min_duration_statement": "500ms" } } }

IvaraBase writes these to <data>/pg/ivarabase.conf on every start. port, listen_addresses and the TLS files can’t be set this way; use the fields above. pg_stat_statements is added to shared_preload_libraries automatically when it’s installed, unless you set shared_preload_libraries yourself.

Example: ivarabase.env on a 4 GB VPS shared with other apps

IVARA_PG_SHARED_BUFFERS=512MB
IVARA_PG_EFFECTIVE_CACHE_SIZE=1536MB
IVARA_PG_MAX_CONNECTIONS=100

Everything else

Auth, storage, backups, alerts and functions are configured per project or per server in the UI, or through their operations (auth.config_set, storage.config_set, backups.config_set, alerts.*). Those settings live encrypted in IvaraBase’s metadata database, not in files.