references:

  • bin/silverbullet/src/config.rs
  • bin/silverbullet/src/server.rs

SilverBullet is primarily configured via environment variables. This page gives a comprehensive overview of all configuration options. You can set these ad-hoc when running the SilverBullet server, or e.g. in your [Install/Docker|docker-compose file](Install/Docker|docker-compose file).

note Single-space vs. multi-space The environment variables below configure a single-space server (one folder, one space). A fresh install pointed at an empty folder instead runs the [Space Manager|setup wizard](Space Manager|setup wizard) and stores per-space settings in spaces.json — the variables marked single-space only below don’t apply there. Setting any of them (or passing --single) selects single-space mode. See [Space Manager#Boot modes](Space Manager#Boot modes).

General configuration

  • SB_INDEX_PAGE: Sets the default page to load, defaults to index.
  • SB_SPACE_IGNORE: Ignore certain path patterns based on a .gitignore style format, e.g. SB_SPACE_IGNORE="IgnoreMe/*".
  • SB_HTTP_LOGGING: Set to any value to enable HTTP logging
  • SB_LOG_PUSH: Set to any value to ask clients to push their logs to the server (for debugging purposes)
  • SB_DISABLE_SERVICE_WORKER: Set to any value to disable the client-side service worker for all clients. In this mode, Sync is disabled (so your space is not copied into the browser) and the app will not function when offline. All loads and saves will go directly to the server.

Network

  • SB_HOSTNAME: Set to the hostname to bind to (defaults to 127.0.0.0, set to 0.0.0.0 to accept outside connections for the local setup, defaults to 0.0.0.0 for docker)
  • SB_PORT: Sets the port to listen to, e.g. SB_PORT=1234, default is 3000
  • SB_UNIX_SOCKET: Instead of listening to a TCP port, listen to a Unix socket at the specified path, e.g. SB_UNIX_SOCKET=/tmp/silverbullet.sock. Note: when this is set, SB_HOSTNAME and SB_PORT are ignored.
  • SB_URL_PREFIX: Host SilverBullet on a particular URL prefix, e.g. SB_URL_PREFIX=/notes

Authentication

note Note These variables configure authentication for a single-space server. In [Space Manager|multi-space](Space Manager|multi-space) mode, accounts live in users.json and access is per space, so setting SB_USER alongside a spaces.json is an error — see Authentication.

  • SB_USER (single-space only): Sets single-user credentials, e.g. SB_USER=pete:1234 allows you to login with username “pete” and password “1234”.
  • SB_AUTH_TOKEN (single-space only): Enables Authorization: Bearer <token> style authentication on the [HTTP API](HTTP API). In multi-space mode this is replaced by per-account [Space Manager#API tokens|API tokens](Space Manager#API tokens|API tokens).
  • SB_LOCKOUT_LIMIT: Specifies the number of failed login attempt before locking the user out (for a SB_LOCKOUT_TIME specified amount of seconds), defaults to 10
  • SB_LOCKOUT_TIME: Specifies the amount of time (in seconds) a client will be blocked until attempting to log back in, defaults to 60.
  • SB_REMEMBER_ME_HOURS: Sets the session duration in hours when "Remember me" is checked during login, defaults to 7 days.

Run mode

  • SB_READ_ONLY: If you want to run the SilverBullet client and server in read-only mode (you get the full SilverBullet client, but all edit functionality and commands are disabled), you can do this by setting this environment variable to a non-empty value. Upon the server start a full space index will happen, after which all write operations will be disabled.

Spaces and accounts

Hosting more than one space is is configured through spaces.json, users.json, and the admin UI rather than environment variables — see [Space Manager](Space Manager).

To force the classic single-space server on an empty folder, pass --single (or set any of the single-space SB_* variables above).

Runtime API

  • SB_RUNTIME_API: The [Runtime API](Runtime API) is enabled automatically when Chrome/Chromium is detected on the system. Set to 0 to explicitly disable. Not available in read-only mode.
  • SB_CHROME_PATH: Optional explicit path to the Chrome/Chromium binary. Falls back to the CHROMIUM_PATH environment variable (pre-set in the -runtime-api Docker image), then auto-detection.
  • SB_CHROME_SHOW: Set to any non-empty value to run Chrome with a visible window instead of headless (useful for debugging).
  • SB_CHROME_DATA_DIR: Path to persist the Chrome user profile between restarts. When not set, defaults to .chrome-data inside the space folder.
  • SB_CHROME_LOG_CONSOLE: Forward the headless Chrome page’s console.* output to the server log (so you can see what the runtime is doing). Enabled by default; set to 0 to disable. The same log is also available via /.runtime/logs (e.g. sb logs).

Security

note Note These variables configure authentication for a single-space server. In [Space Manager|multi-space](Space Manager|multi-space) mode, these options are enabled at a per-space level from the UI

  • SB_SHELL_BACKEND: Enable/disable running of shell commands from plugs, defaults to local (enabled), set to off to disable. It is only enabled when using a local folder for #Storage. Unlike the other variables in this section, this one still applies in [Space Manager|multi-space](Space Manager|multi-space) mode, where it acts as a server-wide kill switch: setting it to off disables shell commands for every space regardless of that space's own setting. It can only ever disable — it will not enable the shell for a space that has it turned off.
  • SB_SHELL_WHITELIST: Allow only a specific list of shell commands (just the first command name, not arguments). When not set, allows all shell commands. Example: SB_SHELL_WHITELIST="git pandoc"

Docker

Configuration only relevant to docker deployments:

  • PUID: Runs the server process with the specified UID (default: whatever user owns the /space mapped folder)
  • PGID: Runs the server process with the specified GID (default: whatever group owns the /space mapped folder)\

Metrics

SilverBullet offers a few basic Prometheus metrics, these can be configured with the following environment variables:

  • SB_METRICS_PORT: HTTP port to expose metrics (under the default /metrics endpoint) on

Web app manifest

Configure aspects of web app appearance as well as the authentication page:

  • SB_NAME: Sets name and short_name members of web app manifest to whatever specified in SB_NAME
  • SB_DESCRIPTION: Sets description member of web app manifest to whatever specified in SB_DESCRIPTION