The Caf App School Template

This is a template repository for hosting The Caf App for a school based on the new Caf App structure. The Caf App uses a submodule-driven architecture. This allows us to maintain a single codebase for the app itself while deploying unique, branded instances for various universities. The repository you are currently in is the school-specific repo. It acts as the host and provides the specific identity and public assets for the school. There are two config files that define how the app runs - the caf.config.json and the .env.local.

📄 caf.config.json Configuration

This documentation defines the configuration file used by The Caf App core engine to brand and configure school-specific deployments. The configuration file is a JSON object located in the root of each school-specific repository. It is injected into the Core engine at build time via Webpack aliases and environment variables.

Root Properties

Key	Type	Description
schoolName	string	The full name of the institution (e.g., "Mississippi College").
schoolId	string	A unique lowercase identifier (often the subdomain)
featureFlags	array	A list of strings used to toggle specific UI elements or beta features.

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branding

Defines the public-facing identity of the specific instance.

Key	Type	Description
appTitle	string	The title displayed in the browser tab and PWA install prompt.
cafName	string	The common name for the main dining hall.
domain	string	The production URL where this specific instance is hosted.

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auth

Configures the login requirements for the student body.

Key	Type	Description
method	string	The authentication provider (e.g., "google").
restrictGoogleDomains	boolean	If true, only users with a specific email suffix can log in.
allowedGoogleDomain	string	The required email domain (e.g., "mc.edu").

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theme

Contains color specifications for both light and dark modes. These are injected into the DOM as CSS variables.

Theme Object Structure

Each mode (light/dark) contains the following objects:

• text:

  • primary: Main body and heading color.
  • secondary: Subtitles and deactivated labels.

• background:

  • primary: Main page background.
  • secondary: Card and modal background colors.

• gradient:

  • start / end: Defines the primary brand gradient used in headers or buttons.

• leaderboard:

  • highlight: Accent color for top-ranking users.

• tap-highlight:

  • The overlay color (usually RGBA) shown when a user touches an interactive element.

database

Server-side configuration for data persistence.

Key	Type	Description
name	string	The specific database or collection name to target for this school's data.

---

It is critical that these values are kept in a .env.local file, which should never be committed to Git. These variables handle the connection to your database and administrative access to Firebase.

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.env.local Configuration

This file stores sensitive credentials and environment-specific variables. While the caf.config.json handles the public app configuration, this file handles private infrastructure access.

Database Configuration

Variable	Description
CAFMONGO	The MongoDB connection string.
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APIKEY	The public API key used by the Firebase Client SDK to initialize the connection for authentication.
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY	The RSA private key for the Firebase Service Account. It must include the -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- and -----END PRIVATE KEY----- headers.
FIREBASE_EMAIL	The service account email address associated with your Google Cloud/Firebase project.