Bani Studio Documentation

Everything you need to set up, configure, and integrate Bani Studio — your AI-powered app builder.

Platform URL: elbani.studio · Source: /home/Hajeri/studio/bani-studio · SSH: Hajeri@40.120.92.59

How it works

Users describe what they want to build in plain text (Arabic or English). The AI generates a full-stack web app — HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and optionally a Node.js backend — deploys it on a subdomain, and gives the user a live URL within minutes.

Each build costs 2 credits. Running a live app costs 1 credit per day. Credits can be purchased as one-time packs or included in monthly subscriptions.

Credits & Billing

Action	Cost
AI build	`2 credits`
Live app per day	`1 credit`
PostgreSQL provision	`10 credits`

Credit packs (one-time)

Pack	Credits	Builds	Price
Starter	60	30	$5
Builder	250	125	$20
Pro	700	350	$50

Monthly subscriptions

Plan	Credits/month	Builds/month	Price
Starter	100	50	$15/mo
Builder	300	150	$39/mo
Studio	700	350	$99/mo

Your Apps

Every app gets a free subdomain: yourapp.elbani.studio. Custom domains require connecting via workspace settings.

You own everything. Download a ZIP export any time — it includes all source code, a Dockerfile, and a README. Deploy it anywhere: Docker, Vercel, Railway, your own server.

SendGrid (email)

Bani Studio sends transactional emails: account verification, password reset, welcome, build-done notifications, low-credit warnings.

Required for email delivery. Without this, emails log to console only — users cannot verify accounts.

Create a SendGrid account

Go to sendgrid.com → free plan includes 100 emails/day.

Verify your sender domain

Settings → Sender Authentication → Authenticate a domain → enter elbani.studio → add the DNS records they give you.

Create an API key

Settings → API Keys → Create API Key → give it "Mail Send" permission → copy the key (starts with SG.).

Set environment variables

SENDGRID_API_KEY=SG.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
SMTP_FROM=noreply@elbani.studio
EMAIL_FROM_NAME=Bani Studio

Or use generic SMTP credentials from SendGrid (Settings → API Keys → SMTP relay):

SMTP_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=apikey
SMTP_PASS=SG.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
SMTP_FROM=noreply@elbani.studio

Stripe (billing)

Handles credit pack purchases and monthly subscription payments.

Get your Stripe keys

Dashboard → Developers → API keys → copy Secret key and Publishable key.

Create products in Stripe

Create one product per credit pack and one per subscription plan. The Price IDs are stored in server.js — update CREDIT_PACKS and SUBSCRIPTION_PLANS with your real Stripe Price IDs.

Set up webhook

Stripe Dashboard → Webhooks → Add endpoint → URL: https://elbani.studio/api/credits/webhook → Events: checkout.session.completed, customer.subscription.created, customer.subscription.updated, customer.subscription.deleted.

Set environment variables

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MongoDB (database)

By default, Bani Studio stores all data in JSON files on disk (/app/data/). When MONGODB_URL is set, it automatically switches to MongoDB and migrates existing data.

Recommended for production. JSON files are fine for low traffic but MongoDB gives you durability, indexing, and easy backups.

Create a MongoDB Atlas cluster

Go to cloud.mongodb.com → Create a free cluster → choose Azure or the nearest region.

Create a database user

Security → Database Access → Add new user → username bani → auto-generate password → copy it.

Whitelist IP / allow all

Security → Network Access → Add IP Address → 0.0.0.0/0 (allow from anywhere, needed for Azure Container App).

Get connection string

Connect → Drivers → copy the connection string. Replace <password> with your actual password.

MONGODB_URL=mongodb+srv://bani:yourpassword@cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net/bani
MONGODB_DB=bani

Migration: On first run with MONGODB_URL set, existing JSON data is automatically migrated to MongoDB. No manual steps needed.

GitHub (auto-push)

Users can connect a GitHub repo to any app. After each successful build, code is automatically pushed to the linked repo.

Create a GitHub OAuth App

GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → OAuth Apps → New OAuth App

Homepage URL: https://elbani.studio
Authorization callback URL: https://elbani.studio/api/auth/github/callback

Set environment variables

GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=Ov23lixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Azure Blob Storage (backup)

When configured, Bani Studio automatically backs up all data files to Azure Blob Storage daily at 3am UTC.

Create a Storage Account

Azure Portal → Storage accounts → Create → choose the same region as your Container App.

Get connection string

Your storage account → Security + networking → Access keys → copy Connection string.

Set environment variables

AZURE_STORAGE_CONNECTION_STRING=DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=...
AZURE_BACKUP_CONTAINER=bani-backups

All Environment Variables

Set these in your Azure Container App → Settings → Environment variables (or in a .env file for local development).

Core

Variable	Description	Default
JWT_SECRET	Secret key for signing auth tokens. Change this in production.	bani-secret-change-me	REQUIRED
PORT	HTTP port the server listens on	3000	optional
DOMAIN	Root domain for subdomains	elbani.studio	optional
BASE_URL	Full URL of the platform (used in emails)	https://elbani.studio	optional
OWNER_EMAIL	Admin account email — auto-created on startup	malhajeri@cultureyes.ae	optional
NODE_ENV	Set to `production` to hide internal error details	—	recommended
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Claude AI key for building apps	—	REQUIRED
PROJECTS_DIR	Where deployed app files are stored	/app/projects	optional
DATA_DIR	Where JSON data files are stored	/app/data	optional

Email (SendGrid / SMTP)

Variable	Description	Default
SENDGRID_API_KEY	SendGrid API key (starts with SG.) — alternative to SMTP_* vars	—	recommended
SMTP_HOST	SMTP server hostname (e.g. smtp.sendgrid.net)	—	recommended
SMTP_PORT	SMTP port	587	optional
SMTP_USER	SMTP username (for SendGrid: `apikey`)	—	optional
SMTP_PASS	SMTP password (for SendGrid: your API key)	—	optional
SMTP_FROM	From address for outgoing emails	noreply@elbani.studio	optional
EMAIL_FROM_NAME	Sender name in emails	Bani Studio	optional

Stripe

Variable	Description	Default
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY	Stripe secret key (sk_live_... or sk_test_...)	—	recommended
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET	Stripe webhook signing secret (whsec_...)	—	recommended

MongoDB

Variable	Description	Default
MONGODB_URL	MongoDB connection string (mongodb+srv://...)	— (uses JSON files)	recommended
MONGODB_DB	MongoDB database name	bani	optional

GitHub

Variable	Description	Default
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID	GitHub OAuth App client ID	—	optional
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET	GitHub OAuth App client secret	—	optional

Azure Backup

Variable	Description	Default
AZURE_STORAGE_CONNECTION_STRING	Azure Blob Storage connection string for backups	—	optional
AZURE_BACKUP_CONTAINER	Container name for backup files	bani-backups	optional

PostgreSQL (per-app databases)

Variable	Description	Default
PG_HOST	PostgreSQL host for provisioning user databases	—	optional
PG_PORT	PostgreSQL port	5432	optional
PG_USER	PostgreSQL admin username	—	optional
PG_PASSWORD	PostgreSQL admin password	—	optional
PG_ADMIN_DB	PostgreSQL admin database name	postgres	optional

App Secrets

Each user app can store secrets (environment variables) that are injected into the running process but never exposed to the AI or in exports.

Add secrets in the workspace → Settings tab → Environment Variables section. They're stored encrypted in the app record and passed as process.env.VARIABLE_NAME to your app at runtime.

Custom Domains

Every app gets appname.elbani.studio automatically (wildcard SSL certificate covers all subdomains).

To add a custom domain: workspace → Settings → Custom Domain → enter your domain → add a CNAME record pointing to elbani.studio with your DNS provider.

API — Authentication

All protected endpoints require a Bearer token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-jwt-token>

Get a token by calling POST /api/auth/login.

POST/api/auth/register

POST/api/auth/login

GET/api/auth/verify/:token

Verify email address using token from email link.

POST/api/auth/forgot-password

Send password reset email. Body: { email }. Rate limited.

API — Apps

GET/api/apps

🔒 Auth required

List your apps.

POST/api/apps

🔒 Auth required

Create a new app. Body: { name, framework?, prompt? }.

PUT/api/apps/:id

🔒 Auth required

Update app settings. Accepts: name, description, isPublic, icon, seoTitle, seoDescription, ogImage, seoLang, domain, secrets, protection.

GET/api/apps/:id/export

🔒 Auth required

Download app as ZIP with source code, Dockerfile, and README.

POST/api/apps/:id/inject-meta

🔒 Auth required

Re-inject SEO/OG meta tags into deployed app's HTML.

POST/api/apps/:id/fork

🔒 Auth required

Duplicate an app (creates a copy with all files).

API — Credits

GET/api/credits/balance

🔒 Auth required

Get current credit balance, plan, and subscription info.

GET/api/credits/packs

List available credit packs and subscription plans (public).

POST/api/credits/checkout

🔒 Auth required

Create a Stripe checkout session for a credit pack. Body: { packId }.

POST/api/credits/subscribe

🔒 Auth required

Create a Stripe subscription. Body: { planId }.

POST/api/billing/portal

🔒 Auth required

Get a Stripe billing portal URL to manage subscription.

API — Admin

All admin endpoints require an admin account.

GET/api/admin/stats

🔒 Admin required

Platform statistics: total users, apps, revenue, builds.

GET/api/admin/users

🔒 Admin required

List all users with credits and app counts.

POST/api/admin/users/:id/credits

🔒 Admin required

Grant or deduct credits from a user. Body: { amount, reason }.

GET/api/health

Platform health check — uptime, database mode, active apps, memory usage (public).