Configuration
Redrive reads each setting in this order: CLI flag, then environment variable, then built-in default.
| Setting | CLI | Env | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port | --port | REDRIVE_PORT | 5100 (falls back to an OS-assigned port if taken, and prints it) |
| Bind host | --host | REDRIVE_HOST | localhost |
| Auth password | — (deliberately none) | REDRIVE_PASSWORD | unset |
| Data directory | --data-dir | REDRIVE_DATA_DIR | per-platform, below |
| Open browser | --no-browser to disable | REDRIVE_NO_BROWSER=1 | opens on start |
| Update check | — | REDRIVE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 to disable | on |
Why there's no --password flag
A CLI flag ends up in your shell history and in the process list — anything running ps aux on the machine can read it. An environment variable avoids both, so that's the only way in.
Data directory
| Platform | Location |
|---|---|
| Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%\redrive |
| Linux | ~/.local/share/redrive (XDG-aware — honors $XDG_DATA_HOME) |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/redrive |
| Docker | /data |
What's in it:
redrive.db— the SQLite database: connections, saved filters, everything except message content.dataprotection-keys/— the keys that encrypt broker credentials at rest.logs/— daily log files.
The update check
On startup, and every 24 hours after that, Redrive makes a plain HTTP request to see whether a newer version is out. That request is all it sends — no identifiers attached, nothing about your setup. See the privacy policy for the full picture. Set REDRIVE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 to turn it off.