Erugo About Erugo Connect Docs Get Started

Configuration Guide

Erugo is configured entirely through the admin panel — no environment variables required. This guide covers all available settings and how to use them.

New to Erugo?
Check out the Getting Started guide first to learn how to install and deploy Erugo.

Accessing Settings

To access configuration settings, log in to Erugo as an administrator and click on the cog icon in the bottom right toolbar.

Accessing Settings

The settings panel is organized into several sections:

  • Branding & UI — Visual customization, themes, logos, and backgrounds
  • System Settings — Core application behavior, shares, SMTP, and authentication
  • Email Templates — Customize notification emails
  • Users — Manage user accounts

Branding & UI

Background Images

Customize the background images displayed throughout Erugo. By default, Erugo uses images from Unsplash, but you can upload your own.

Setting Description Default
Use My Backgrounds When enabled, uses your uploaded background images instead of Unsplash. You must upload at least one image to enable this. Disabled
Image Change Interval How often the background image randomly changes. Options include 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 1 day, or disabled. Set to 0 to show a random image on each page load instead. 3 minutes

Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, WebP images, and MP4/WebM videos.

Themes

Erugo includes a variety of pre-made themes and supports custom themes. Themes control colors, fonts, and other visual aspects of the interface.

Selecting a Theme

Choose from the available themes in the dropdown. Changes are previewed immediately, but you must save to apply them permanently.

Custom Themes

You can create and install custom themes:

  1. Download an existing theme as a starting point
  2. Modify the JSON file to customize colors and styles
  3. Install your custom theme by uploading the JSON file and giving it a name
Security Note: Only install themes from sources you trust. Review theme files before installing to ensure they don't contain malicious code.

Deleting Themes

You can delete custom themes you've installed. Bundled themes and the currently active theme cannot be deleted.

Other UI Options

Setting Description Default
Show Powered By Erugo Show or hide the "Powered by Erugo" text at the bottom of the page. This helps Erugo be discovered by new users and supports the project, but you can hide it if you prefer. Enabled

System Settings

General

Basic application settings that control how Erugo identifies itself and behaves.

Setting Description Default
Application Name The name displayed in title bars, dialogs, and throughout the interface. Helps maintain consistent branding. Erugo File Sharing
Application URL The base URL of your Erugo instance. Used to create clickable links in notification emails. Do not include a trailing slash.
Login Message A custom message displayed on the login screen. Use for welcome messages, announcements, or important notifications. Login to your account to get started.
Default Language The primary language for the interface. Users can override this with their personal preferences. Available: English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese. English
Show Language Selector When enabled, displays a language dropdown in the top-right corner allowing users to switch languages. Enabled

Shares

Control how file shares behave, including size limits, expiration, and cleanup policies.

Setting Description Default
Default Expiry Time The default number of days until a share expires. Users can change this when creating a share (within the maximum limit). 7 days
Maximum Expiry Time The maximum number of days a user can set for share expiry. Leave empty to allow unlimited expiry time. 10 days
Maximum Share Size The maximum total size of files that can be included in a single share. Can be set in MB or GB. 2 GB
Clean Files After Number of days after a share expires before its files are permanently deleted from the system. This gives users time to extend shares if needed. 30 days
Allow Reverse Shares When enabled, registered users can send reverse share requests. These provide external individuals with a one-time upload pass to deliver files directly to the requesting user. Enabled

Share URL Generation

Control how share URLs are generated. Different modes offer varying levels of memorability, length, and uniqueness.

Setting Description Default
URL Generation Mode Choose how share URLs are created:
  • Haiku — Memorable word combinations (e.g., autumn-breeze-dancing)
  • Random — Configurable random string
  • Short Code — Compact YouTube-style codes (e.g., xK9mPq)
  • UUID — Standard unique identifiers
Haiku
URL Prefix Optional prefix added to all share URLs for branding. For example, setting acme produces URLs like acme-autumn-breeze.

Random Mode Options

When using Random mode, you can customize the generated strings:

Setting Description Default
Random String Length Length of the generated string (8-64 characters). 16
Lowercase Letters Include lowercase letters (a-z). Enabled
Uppercase Letters Include uppercase letters (A-Z). Enabled
Numbers Include numbers (0-9). Enabled
Special Characters Include special characters (- and _). Disabled

Short Code Options

Setting Description Default
Short Code Length Length of the generated short code (4-12 characters). 6

Email Notifications

Control which email notifications are sent to users. All notifications require SMTP to be configured.

Notification Description Default
Share Downloaded Notify share owners when their shared content is downloaded for the first time. Helps users track when recipients access their files. Enabled
Share Expiry Warning Send proactive notifications when shares are approaching expiration. Gives users the opportunity to extend access if needed. Enabled
Share Expired Alert users when their shares have reached their expiration date and are no longer accessible to recipients. Enabled
Share Deletion Warning Provide advance notice when expired shares are scheduled for permanent deletion. Gives users a final opportunity to save important content. Enabled
Share Deleted Notify users when their shares have been permanently deleted from the system. Confirms the completion of the content lifecycle. Enabled

SMTP / Email Configuration

Configure your email server settings to enable notifications and password reset emails.

Setting Description Default
SMTP Host The server address for your outgoing email service (e.g., smtp.gmail.com, smtp.mailgun.org).
SMTP Port The port number for your SMTP server. Common ports: 25 (standard), 465 (SSL), 587 (TLS). 587
SMTP Username The username to authenticate with your SMTP server. Usually your email address or account name.
SMTP Password The password for SMTP authentication. For Gmail, use an App Password instead of your regular password.
Sender Name The display name that appears as the sender (e.g., "Erugo File Sharing" or "Your Company Name").
Sender Address The email address used as the sender for all system emails. Should be valid and configured with your SMTP service.
Tip: If you're using Gmail, you'll need to create an App Password in your Google Account settings. Regular passwords won't work due to Google's security policies.

Authentication Providers

Configure external authentication providers to allow users to log in with their existing accounts. Erugo supports OAuth2/OIDC providers including Google, Microsoft, Authentik, and generic OIDC.

Important: External authentication requires a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). OAuth providers cannot be configured when accessing Erugo via localhost.

Adding an Auth Provider

  1. Navigate to System SettingsAuth
  2. Click the + button to add a new provider
  3. Select the provider type from the dropdown
  4. Configure the required settings (Client ID, Client Secret, etc.)
  5. Copy the Callback URL and add it to your identity provider's configuration
  6. Enable the provider and save

Provider Settings

Setting Description
Enable Turn the provider on or off. Disabled providers won't appear on the login screen.
Allow Self-Registration When enabled, users who authenticate with this provider but don't have an existing account will have one created automatically. Only enable for trusted identity providers.
Provider Name The display name shown on the login button (e.g., "Sign in with Google").
Client ID The OAuth client ID from your identity provider.
Client Secret The OAuth client secret from your identity provider.
Callback URL The URL to configure in your identity provider. This is automatically generated by Erugo.
Security Warning: Only configure auth providers that you trust. Authentication providers have elevated access privileges. Adding untrusted or compromised providers could lead to unauthorized access or data breaches.

Email Templates

Customize the content of notification emails sent by Erugo. Each email type can be individually configured.

Available Templates

  • Base Template — The wrapper template that all other emails inherit from
  • Account Created — Sent to new users with a link to set their password
  • Password Reset — Sent when a user requests a password reset
  • Reverse Share Invite — Sent when a user invites someone to upload files
  • Share Created — Sent to recipients when files are shared with them
  • Share Downloaded — Sent to owners when their share is downloaded
  • Share Expiry Warning — Sent before a share expires
  • Share Expired — Sent when a share has expired
  • Share Deletion Warning — Sent before files are permanently deleted
  • Share Deleted — Sent when files have been permanently deleted

Template Sections

Each template can have the following sections customized:

Section Description
Subject The email subject line.
Header Content displayed at the top of the email.
Message Content The main body of the email.
Action Button Text Text displayed on the call-to-action button.
Fallback Text Text shown above the fallback link for email clients that can't display buttons properly.

Need Help?

If you have questions about configuration or run into issues, our community is here to help.