How do I set up DEV3 Kilnfront on my server?

Install

1. Start MongoDB and note its connection string.
2. Copy the folder to your server and enter it: cd kilnfront.
3. Create your settings file: cp .env.example .env.local.
4. Edit .env.local:
   • APP_SECRET: 32 or more random characters (for example openssl rand -hex 32). It signs checkout links and preview tokens and derives the key that encrypts merchants' gateway keys. Keep it stable.
   • MONGODB_URI: the example assumes a local replica set called rs0. For a standalone server use something like mongodb://your-db-host:27017.
   • MONGODB_DB: optional; it defaults to n3_kilnfront.
   • APP_URL: the public URL of the platform, for example https://app.example.com.
   • STORES_BASE_DOMAIN: the base for store addresses. With shops.example.com, a store called fernquill answers on fernquill.shops.example.com.
5. Install and build: npm install, then npm run build.
6. Start it: npm start. It listens on port 3304.
7. Open /setup. The wizard checks the server, creates the super-admin account and can load the demo data.

For a first look on your own machine, npm run seed loads 12 fictional stores and DEMO_MODE=true shows one-click role logins. Every demo password is demo-pass-2026. Do not run the seed against a database that holds real data, and do not leave demo mode on in production.

Production checklist

1. Set COOKIE_SECURE=true, a real APP_SECRET, DOMAIN_DNS_DRIVER=live and SMTP settings.
2. Leave DEMO_MODE=false and DEV3_ALLOW_LIVE unset until you are ready to test live payments.
3. Run behind HTTPS and a proxy that forwards the Host header.
4. Add the scheduled jobs above.
5. Back up the MongoDB database. File uploads are written to storage/ by default (STORAGE_DRIVER=local); back that up too, or switch to an S3-compatible service.
6. Connect your payment gateway's failed-payment events to the past-due helper before taking real subscriptions, as described in the listing's Good to know section.