# Endpoints

> Source: `src/content/docs/general/endpoints.mdx`
> Canonical URL: https://rivet.dev/docs/general/endpoints
> Description: Configure how your backend connects to Rivet and how clients reach your actors.

---
## Local Development

No configuration is needed for local development. RivetKit runs entirely on your local machine without any extra configuration to run Rivet Actors.

## Production Deployment

When deploying to production, you need to configure endpoints so your backend can communicate with Rivet Engine and clients can reach your actors.

<img src={imgEndpointEnvVars.src} alt="Diagram showing Client connecting to Rivet, which connects to Your Backend" />

### Private Endpoint

The private endpoint tells your backend where to find the Rivet Engine.

### Environment Variable

```bash
RIVET_ENDPOINT=https://my-namespace:sk_xxxxx@api.rivet.dev
```

### Config

### Public Endpoint

The public endpoint tells clients where to connect to reach your actors.

This endpoint and token will be exposed to the internet. Use a public token (`pk_`), not your secret token (`sk_`).

The public endpoint is only required if using the [serverless runtime mode](/docs/general/runtime-modes#runners) and if you have a frontend using RivetKit.

### Environment Variable

```bash
RIVET_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT=https://my-namespace:pk_xxxxx@api.rivet.dev
```

### Config

## Advanced

### URL Auth Syntax

Endpoint URLs support embedding namespace and token directly in the URL:

```
https://namespace:token@host/path
```

This is the recommended approach for simplicity. Alternatively, you can use separate environment variables:

```bash
RIVET_ENDPOINT=https://api.rivet.dev
RIVET_NAMESPACE=my-namespace
RIVET_TOKEN=sk_xxxxx
```

### Security

In serverless mode, the private endpoint is used to validate that requests to `GET /api/rivet/start` are coming from your trusted Rivet endpoint. If the private endpoint is not configured, anyone can run a self-hosted instance of Rivet and connect to your backend from any endpoint.

### How Clients Connect

This flow applies to [serverless runtime mode](/docs/general/runtime-modes#serverless). For [runner runtime mode](/docs/general/runtime-modes#runners) or [clients configured to connect directly to Rivet](/docs/clients/javascript), clients connect directly to Rivet and this metadata flow is not needed.

When a client connects to your serverless application, it follows this flow:

1. Client makes a request to `https://my-app.example.com/api/rivet/metadata`
2. Your app returns the public endpoint configuration:
   ```json
   {
     "clientEndpoint": "https://api.rivet.dev",
     "clientNamespace": "my-namespace",
     "clientToken": "pk_xxxxx"
   }
   ```
3. Client caches these values and uses them for subsequent requests
4. Client connects to `https://api.rivet.dev/gateway/{actor}`, which routes requests to your actors

This indirection exists because Rivet acts as a gateway between clients and your actors. This is because Rivet handles routing, load balancing, and actor lifecycle management of actors.

## Reference

| Environment Variable | Config Option | Description |
|---------------------|---------------|-------------|
| `RIVET_ENDPOINT` | `endpoint` | Rivet Engine URL for your backend |
| `RIVET_NAMESPACE` | `namespace` | Namespace for actor isolation |
| `RIVET_TOKEN` | `token` | Authentication token for engine connection |
| `RIVET_PUBLIC_ENDPOINT` | `serverless.publicEndpoint` | Client-facing endpoint |
| `RIVET_PUBLIC_TOKEN` | `serverless.publicToken` | Client-facing token |

_Source doc path: /docs/general/endpoints_
