> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/cvat-ai/cvat/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuration

> Environment variables and configuration options for self-hosted CVAT

This guide covers the configuration options available for self-hosted CVAT deployments using Docker Compose.

## Environment Variables

CVAT uses environment variables to configure various aspects of the application. These can be set in a `.env` file or directly in your `docker-compose.override.yml`.

### Core Settings

#### Host and URL Configuration

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_HOST=localhost
CVAT_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080
```

* `CVAT_HOST`: The hostname where CVAT will be accessible (default: `localhost`)
* `CVAT_BASE_URL`: Full base URL for CVAT (default: `http://{CVAT_HOST}:8080`)
* `CVAT_VERSION`: Docker image version to use (default: `dev`)

#### Database Configuration

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_POSTGRES_HOST=cvat_db
CVAT_POSTGRES_DBNAME=cvat
CVAT_POSTGRES_USER=root
CVAT_POSTGRES_PASSWORD=
CVAT_POSTGRES_PORT=5432
CVAT_POSTGRES_APPLICATION_NAME=cvat
```

For sensitive passwords, use the file-based approach:

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/postgres_password
```

See `cvat/settings/base.py:711` for the password file implementation.

#### Redis Configuration

CVAT uses two Redis instances:

**In-Memory Redis (session data, caching)**

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_REDIS_INMEM_HOST=cvat_redis_inmem
CVAT_REDIS_INMEM_PORT=6379
CVAT_REDIS_INMEM_PASSWORD=
```

**On-Disk Redis/Kvrocks (media cache)**

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_REDIS_ONDISK_HOST=cvat_redis_ondisk
CVAT_REDIS_ONDISK_PORT=6666
CVAT_REDIS_ONDISK_PASSWORD=
```

#### ClickHouse (Analytics Database)

```bash theme={null}
CLICKHOUSE_HOST=clickhouse
CLICKHOUSE_PORT=8123
CLICKHOUSE_DB=cvat
CLICKHOUSE_USER=user
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=user
```

See `docker-compose.yml:31-36` and `cvat/settings/base.py:701-709` for ClickHouse configuration.

### Django Settings

#### Security

```bash theme={null}
DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=
ALLOWED_HOSTS=*
```

* `DJANGO_SECRET_KEY`: Secret key for Django (auto-generated if not set)
* `ALLOWED_HOSTS`: Comma-separated list of allowed hostnames (default: `localhost,127.0.0.1`)

See `cvat/settings/base.py:36-38` for ALLOWED\_HOSTS configuration.

#### Logging

```bash theme={null}
DJANGO_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG
DJANGO_LOG_SERVER_HOST=vector
DJANGO_LOG_SERVER_PORT=8282
VECTOR_EVENT_HANDLER=AsynchronousLogstashHandler
```

See `cvat/settings/base.py:481-553` for logging configuration.

### Application Settings

#### Analytics

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_ANALYTICS=1
```

Enables analytics features including Grafana dashboards and event tracking. See `cvat/settings/base.py:177-180`.

#### Worker Configuration

```bash theme={null}
NUMPROCS=2
```

Number of worker processes for each worker type. Set in `docker-compose.yml:98` for the server and various worker containers.

#### Feature Flags

```bash theme={null}
ADAPTIVE_AUTO_ANNOTATION=false
ONE_RUNNING_JOB_IN_QUEUE_PER_USER=
CVAT_ALLOW_STATIC_CACHE=no
```

See `docker-compose.yml:97-101` and `cvat/settings/base.py:756` for feature flag configurations.

#### File Processing

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_CONCURRENT_CHUNK_PROCESSING=1
CVAT_LOG_IMPORT_ERRORS=true
```

* `CVAT_CONCURRENT_CHUNK_PROCESSING`: Number of chunks processed simultaneously (default: `1`)
* `CVAT_LOG_IMPORT_ERRORS`: Log import errors to file (default: `false`)

See `cvat/settings/base.py:549` and `cvat/settings/base.py:759`.

#### Health Checks

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_HEALTH_DISK_USAGE_MAX=90
```

Maximum disk usage percentage before health check fails. See `cvat/settings/base.py:788`.

### Serverless Functions (Nuclio)

```bash theme={null}
CVAT_NUCLIO_SCHEME=http
CVAT_NUCLIO_HOST=localhost
CVAT_NUCLIO_PORT=8070
CVAT_NUCLIO_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT=120
CVAT_NUCLIO_FUNCTION_NAMESPACE=nuclio
CVAT_NUCLIO_INVOKE_METHOD=dashboard
```

See `cvat/settings/base.py:345-357` for Nuclio configuration.

### Proxy Configuration

```bash theme={null}
no_proxy=clickhouse,grafana,vector,nuclio,opa
SMOKESCREEN_OPTS=
```

See `docker-compose.yml:18-19` for proxy settings.

## Django Settings Files

CVAT uses multiple Django settings files located in `cvat/settings/`:

* `base.py`: Core settings (database, cache, authentication, logging)
* `production.py`: Production-specific settings
* `development.py`: Development settings
* `email_settings.py`: Email configuration
* `testing.py`: Test environment settings

### Custom Settings Overlay

To customize Django settings without modifying core files:

1. Create a custom `settings.py` file:

```python theme={null}
# Import production settings
from cvat.settings.production import *

# Override specific settings
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-domain.com']
DEBUG = False
```

2. Mount it in `docker-compose.override.yml`:

```yaml theme={null}
services:
  cvat_server:
    environment:
      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: settings
    volumes:
      - ./settings.py:/home/django/settings.py:ro
```

## Docker Compose Configuration

### Volume Mounts

CVAT uses several Docker volumes defined in `docker-compose.yml:421-428`:

* `cvat_db`: PostgreSQL database files
* `cvat_data`: Uploaded media and task data
* `cvat_keys`: Django secret key storage
* `cvat_logs`: Application logs
* `cvat_inmem_db`: Redis in-memory data
* `cvat_events_db`: ClickHouse analytics data
* `cvat_cache_db`: Kvrocks on-disk cache

### Service Configuration

Key services defined in `docker-compose.yml`:

* `cvat_server`: Main Django application server
* `cvat_ui`: Frontend UI server
* `cvat_db`: PostgreSQL database
* `cvat_redis_inmem`: Redis for sessions/cache
* `cvat_redis_ondisk`: Kvrocks for media cache
* `cvat_clickhouse`: ClickHouse for analytics
* `cvat_vector`: Log aggregation
* `cvat_grafana`: Analytics dashboards
* `cvat_opa`: Open Policy Agent for authorization
* `traefik`: Reverse proxy

Worker services (handle background tasks):

* `cvat_worker_import`: Data import operations
* `cvat_worker_export`: Data export operations
* `cvat_worker_annotation`: Auto-annotation tasks
* `cvat_worker_webhooks`: Webhook delivery
* `cvat_worker_quality_reports`: Quality control reports
* `cvat_worker_chunks`: Video chunk processing
* `cvat_worker_consensus`: Consensus calculations
* `cvat_worker_utils`: Notifications and cleanup

See `docker-compose.yml:38-248` for detailed service configurations.

### Override Configuration

Create a `docker-compose.override.yml` to customize your deployment:

```yaml theme={null}
services:
  cvat_server:
    environment:
      ALLOWED_HOSTS: your-domain.com
      CVAT_ANALYTICS: 1
    volumes:
      - /your/custom/path:/home/django/data
```

## Cache Configuration

Cache timeouts defined in `cvat/settings/base.py:566-580`:

```python theme={null}
CVAT_CHUNK_CACHE_TTL = 3600 * 24  # 1 day
CVAT_PREVIEW_CACHE_TTL = 3600 * 24 * 7  # 7 days
```

## Time Zone

```bash theme={null}
TZ=Etc/UTC
```

Set the timezone for the application. See `cvat/settings/base.py:417`.

## Additional Resources

* [Django Settings Documentation](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/4.2/ref/settings/)
* [Docker Compose File Reference](https://docs.docker.com/compose/compose-file/)
* Source code: `cvat/settings/base.py`, `docker-compose.yml`