Can you keep a secret?

Development

Add the secret to your .env file:

PAYLOAD_SECRET="your_generated_secret_here"

For local development with Docker, add it to your docker-compose.yml environment variables:

      environment:
        PAYLOAD_SECRET: "your_generated_secret_here"

Production

Set the secret in your hosting platform:

      # Using Vercel CLI
      vercel env add PAYLOAD_SECRET your_generated_secret_here
      
      # Or add via Vercel dashboard:
      # Project Settings > Environment Variables > Add New

      # Add via Railway dashboard:
      # Project Settings > Variables > New Variable
      PAYLOAD_SECRET=your_generated_secret_here

      # Using Netlify CLI
      netlify env:set PAYLOAD_SECRET your_generated_secret_here
      
      # Or add via Netlify dashboard:
      # Site settings > Environment variables > Add variable

Code

In your Payload config:

      import { buildConfig } from 'payload/config';
      
      export default buildConfig({
        secret: process.env.PAYLOAD_SECRET,
        // ... rest of your config
      });

For TypeScript projects:

      import { buildConfig } from 'payload/config';
      import { Config } from 'payload/types';
      
      const config: Config = buildConfig({
        secret: process.env.PAYLOAD_SECRET,
        // ... rest of your config
      });
      
      export default config;