sencho/docs/getting-started/configuration.mdx

---
title: Configuration
description: Environment variables, volume mounts, and the 1:1 path rule.
---

Sencho is configured entirely through environment variables and Docker volume mounts. There is no config file to edit inside the container.

## Required environment variables

| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `JWT_SECRET` | Secret key used to sign session tokens. Use a long, random string (32+ characters). Changing this invalidates all active sessions. |
| `COMPOSE_DIR` | Absolute path to the directory that contains your Compose stacks. Every subdirectory inside becomes a stack in Sencho. |

## Optional environment variables

| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `PORT` | `3000` | Port the Sencho HTTP server listens on. |
| `DATA_DIR` | `/app/data` | Directory where Sencho stores its SQLite database, node registry, and cached metrics. |
| `NODE_ENV` | `production` | Set automatically in the Docker image. Only change this for local development. |

## Required volume mounts

### Docker socket

Sencho needs access to the Docker daemon to manage containers:

```yaml
volumes:
  - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
```

### Data directory

Sencho's database persists all your settings, nodes, alerts, and metrics history. Mount a named volume or host path so it survives container restarts:

```yaml
volumes:
  - ./sencho-data:/app/data
```

<Warning>
  Without a persistent data mount, Sencho will lose all configuration - including registered nodes, alerts, and settings - every time the container restarts.
</Warning>

### Compose directory - the 1:1 path rule

<Warning>
  This is the most common source of deployment problems. Read carefully.
</Warning>

When Sencho runs `docker compose up`, it does so on your **host machine**. Docker resolves relative volume paths in your Compose files relative to the **host** path of the stack directory - not the path inside the Sencho container.

**The rule:** Mount your Compose directory at the **exact same path** inside the container as it exists on your host.

```yaml
# ✅ Correct - host path matches container path
volumes:
  - /home/boris/docker:/home/boris/docker
environment:
  - COMPOSE_DIR=/home/boris/docker
```

```yaml
# ❌ Wrong - paths differ, relative volumes will break
volumes:
  - /home/boris/docker:/app/compose
environment:
  - COMPOSE_DIR=/app/compose
```

If you use a simple path like `/opt/compose` on your host, mount it at `/opt/compose` in the container:

```yaml
volumes:
  - /opt/compose:/opt/compose
environment:
  - COMPOSE_DIR=/opt/compose
```

## Full docker-compose.yml example

```yaml
services:
  sencho:
    image: saelix/sencho:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - ./sencho-data:/app/data
      - /opt/compose:/opt/compose          # 1:1 path rule
    environment:
      - JWT_SECRET=your-long-random-secret-here
      - COMPOSE_DIR=/opt/compose
      - DATA_DIR=/app/data
```

## Optional: global environment file

If your Compose stacks share common variables (e.g. `PUID`, `PGID`, `TZ`), you can pass an `env_file` to the Sencho container so those variables are available in the host environment when `docker compose` runs:

```yaml
services:
  sencho:
    image: saelix/sencho:latest
    env_file:
      - /opt/compose/globals.env          # shared vars for all stacks
    environment:
      - JWT_SECRET=your-secret
      - COMPOSE_DIR=/opt/compose
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - /opt/compose:/opt/compose
      - ./sencho-data:/app/data
```

## Reverse proxy setup

Sencho works behind any reverse proxy. The only requirement is that WebSocket connections are forwarded correctly (used for live logs, container terminals, and the host console).

### Nginx

```nginx
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name sencho.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;

        # WebSocket support
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";

        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_read_timeout 3600s;
    }
}
```

### Traefik (Docker labels)

```yaml
labels:
  - "traefik.enable=true"
  - "traefik.http.routers.sencho.rule=Host(`sencho.yourdomain.com`)"
  - "traefik.http.services.sencho.loadbalancer.server.port=3000"
```

<Note>
  Traefik handles WebSocket upgrades automatically for HTTP/1.1 backends. No extra configuration needed.
</Note>

## First boot

After starting Sencho, open it in your browser. If no admin account exists yet, you'll be taken to a setup screen to create one. This only appears once - subsequent visits go directly to the login page.