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Environment variables control three key behaviors in next-dev-portfolio: where your content data comes from at runtime (the boot source), whether Studio edits are committed back to your GitHub repository, and how the /admin route is protected on Vercel deployments. You configure these in your Vercel project settings or in a local .env.local file.

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Variable Reference

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boolean
default:"false"
Set to true to enable Save2Repo mode. When active, saving content in Studio commits the changes directly to your GitHub repository instead of writing them to disk. This variable is set automatically when you install the OlonJS Vercel integration.
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string
The base URL for the OlonJS Cloud API (for example, https://api.olonjs.com). Required for both Save2Repo and Live boot modes. When omitted, the site boots in Local mode and reads data from src/data/ files.
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string
Your OlonJS Cloud API key. Required alongside NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_CLOUD_URL for Save2Repo and Live modes. Keep this value private — do not commit it to your repository.
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string
A public key used to protect the /admin route. When this variable is set and VERCEL_ENV is present, the admin route requires authentication. Leave it unset during local development to access admin without auth.
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string
Automatically set by Vercel to production, preview, or development. next-dev-portfolio uses this to determine whether admin authentication should be enforced. You do not set this manually.

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Legacy Aliases

The following variable names are supported as aliases for the OLONJS_-prefixed names above. They work identically — use whichever name your existing setup already references.
If both an OLONJS_-prefixed variable and its legacy alias are set, the OLONJS_ version takes precedence.

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Boot Modes

At runtime, next-dev-portfolio resolves a boot source based on which environment variables are present. The boot source determines where page data comes from and how Studio saves are handled.

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Local (no cloud variables set)

When neither NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_CLOUD_URL nor NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_API_KEY (nor their legacy aliases) is configured, the site runs in Local mode.
  • Page data is read from the JSON files in src/data/
  • Studio edits write directly to those files on disk
  • No network requests are made to any external API
  • Ideal for local development and for forks that don’t use OlonJS Cloud

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Save2Repo (NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_SAVE2REPO=true + cloud variables)

When NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_SAVE2REPO is true and both cloud variables are configured, the site runs in Save2Repo mode.
  • Page data is served from the baked static JSON files in public/
  • Studio edits are sent to OlonJS Cloud, which commits the updated JSON to your GitHub repository and triggers a new Vercel deployment
  • This is the recommended mode for deployed portfolios managed through the Vercel integration
  • The OlonJS Vercel integration sets all required variables automatically during setup

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Live (cloud variables set, Save2Repo not enabled)

When both cloud variables are configured but NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_SAVE2REPO is not true, the site runs in Live mode.
  • Page data is fetched from the OlonJS Cloud API on each request
  • Studio edits update the cloud data source immediately, without a redeploy
  • Useful for dynamic content that should update without a new build
The boot mode is logged to the server console on startup. If your content isn’t loading as expected, check the boot mode log to confirm which source is being used.

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Setting Variables on Vercel

1

Open your project settings

Go to your project in the Vercel Dashboard and click Settings in the top navigation.
2

Navigate to Environment Variables

Select Environment Variables from the left sidebar.
3

Add each variable

Enter the variable name and value. Choose which environments (Production, Preview, Development) the variable applies to. For NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_API_KEY, set it on Production and Preview but consider whether to expose it in Development.
4

Redeploy your project

Click Redeploy on your latest deployment (or push a new commit) to apply the new variables. Environment variables with the NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix are bundled into the client-side JavaScript at build time — a redeploy is required for changes to take effect.
NEXT_PUBLIC_* variables are embedded into your site’s JavaScript bundle at build time and are visible to anyone who inspects your site’s source. Do not store secrets or private tokens in NEXT_PUBLIC_* variables. Use NEXT_PUBLIC_OLONJS_API_KEY only with keys that are scoped to read/write operations your public visitors are allowed to trigger.

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Local Development

For local development, create a .env.local file in the root of your project. This file is gitignored by default and should never be committed.
During local development, VERCEL_ENV is not set, so admin authentication is not enforced even if ADMIN_PUBLIC_KEY is present. You can access /admin freely in your local environment.