configurable url

README.md

@@ -4,6 +4,24 @@ A self-hosted web application for storing, organizing, and reading short stories
 
 ## Quick Start
 
+### Option 1: Using Environment-Specific Deployment (Recommended)
+
+1. Deploy for your environment:
+```bash
+# For development
+./deploy.sh development
+
+# For staging
+./deploy.sh staging
+
+# For production (edit .env.production first with your values)
+./deploy.sh production
+```
+
+2. Edit the environment file (`.env.development`, `.env.staging`, or `.env.production`) with your specific configuration
+
+### Option 2: Manual Configuration
+
 1. Copy environment variables:
 ```bash
 cp .env.example .env
@@ -16,7 +34,7 @@ cp .env.example .env
 docker-compose up -d
 ```
 
-4. Access the application at http://localhost
+4. Access the application at the URL specified in your environment configuration (default: http://localhost:6925)
 
 ## Architecture
 
@@ -26,6 +44,44 @@ docker-compose up -d
 - **Search**: Typesense (Port 8108)
 - **Proxy**: Nginx (Port 80)
 
+## Environment Configuration
+
+StoryCove supports different deployment environments with specific configuration files:
+
+### Environment Files
+
+- `.env.development` - Local development with Docker
+- `.env.staging` - Staging/testing environment
+- `.env.production` - Production deployment
+- `.env.example` - Template with all available options
+
+### Key Environment Variables
+
+- `STORYCOVE_PUBLIC_URL` - The public URL where your app is accessible
+- `STORYCOVE_CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS` - Comma-separated list of allowed CORS origins
+- `DB_PASSWORD` - PostgreSQL database password
+- `JWT_SECRET` - Secret key for JWT token signing (minimum 32 characters)
+- `APP_PASSWORD` - Application login password
+- `TYPESENSE_API_KEY` - API key for Typesense search service
+- `NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL` - Frontend API URL (for development only)
+
+### Deployment Examples
+
+For a production deployment at `https://stories.example.com`:
+```bash
+# Edit .env.production
+STORYCOVE_PUBLIC_URL=https://stories.example.com
+STORYCOVE_CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://stories.example.com
+
+# Deploy
+./deploy.sh production
+```
+
+For local development:
+```bash
+./deploy.sh development
+```
+
 ## Development
 
 ### Frontend Development