diff --git a/backend/.env.example b/backend/.env.example
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/.env.example
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+NODE_ENV=development
+PORT=3000
+
+# URLs
+ADMIN_URL=http://localhost:3000
+FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3001
+
+# Security
+JWT_SECRET=dev-secret-key
+
+# Email Configuration
+SMTP_HOST=mailhog
+SMTP_PORT=1025
+SMTP_SECURE=false
+SMTP_USER=
+SMTP_PASS=
+EMAIL_FROM=noreply@localhost
+
+# Storage Paths (relative to project root)
+STORAGE_PATH=./storage
+EVENTS_PATH=./storage/events
+ARCHIVE_PATH=./storage/events/archived
+
+# Logging
+LOG_LEVEL=info
+
+# Database (for production, consider PostgreSQL)
+DATABASE_CLIENT=sqlite3
+DATABASE_PATH=./data/photo_sharing.db
+
+# Umami Analytics (optional)
+UMAMI_URL=
+UMAMI_WEBSITE_ID=