> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.keephq.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# DB Authentication

For applications requiring user management and authentication, Keep supports basic authentication with username and password.

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### When to Use

* **Self-Hosted Deployments:** When you're deploying Keep for individual use or within an organization.
* **Enhanced Security:** Provides a simple yet effective layer of security for your Keep instance.

### Setup Instructions

To start Keep with DB authentication, set the following environment variables:

| Environment Variable                  |               Description               | Required | Frontend/Backend | Default Value |
| ------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------: | :------: | :--------------: | :-----------: |
| AUTH\_TYPE                            | Set to 'DB' for database authentication |    Yes   |       Both       |       -       |
| KEEP\_JWT\_SECRET                     |     Secret for JWT token generation     |    Yes   |      Backend     |       -       |
| KEEP\_DEFAULT\_USERNAME               |          Default admin username         |    No    |      Backend     |      keep     |
| KEEP\_DEFAULT\_PASSWORD               |          Default admin password         |    No    |      Backend     |      keep     |
| KEEP\_FORCE\_RESET\_DEFAULT\_PASSWORD |   Override the current admin password   |    No    |      Backend     |     false     |

### Example configuration

Use the `docker-compose-with-auth.yml` for an easy setup, which includes necessary environment variables for enabling basic authentication.