diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index eeaf75b..b5764c3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ SASjs Server is available in two modes - Desktop (without authentication) and Se
 
 ## Installation
 
-Installation can be made programmatically using command line, or by manually downloading and running the executable. 
+Installation can be made programmatically using command line, or by manually downloading and running the executable.
 
 ### Programmatic
 
@@ -48,16 +48,32 @@ When launching the app, it will make use of specific environment variables. Thes
 Example contents of a `.env` file:
 
 ```
-MODE=desktop # options: [desktop|server] default: desktop
-CORS=disable # options: [disable|enable] default: disable
+MODE=desktop # options: [desktop|server] default: `desktop`
+CORS=disable # options: [disable|enable] default: `disable` for `server` & `enable` for `desktop`
+WHITELIST= # options: <http://localhost:3000 https://abc.com ...> space separated urls
 PROTOCOL=http # options: [http|https] default: http
 PORT=5000 # default: 5000
-PORT_WEB=3000 # port for sasjs web component(react). default: 3000
+
+# optional
+# for MODE: `desktop`, prompts user
+# for MODE: `server` gets value from api/package.json `configuration.sasPath`
 SAS_PATH=/path/to/sas/executable.exe
+
+
+# optional
+# for MODE: `desktop`, prompts user
+# for MODE: `server` defaults to /tmp
 DRIVE_PATH=/tmp
-PROTOCOL=http # options: [http|https] default: http
+
+# ENV variables required for PROTOCOL: `https`
 PRIVATE_KEY=privkey.pem
 FULL_CHAIN=fullchain.pem
+
+# ENV variables required for MODE: `server`
+ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=<secret>
+REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET=<secret>
+AUTH_CODE_SECRET=<secret>
+DB_CONNECT=mongodb+srv://<DB_USERNAME>:<DB_PASSWORD>@<CLUSTER>/<DB_NAME>?retryWrites=true&w=majority
 ```
 
 ## Persisting the Session
@@ -94,11 +110,10 @@ Instead of `app_name` you can pass:
 - `all` to act on all processes
 - `id` to act on a specific process id
 
-
 ## Server Version
 
-The following credentials can be used for the initial connection to SASjs/server.  It is recommended to change these on first use.
+The following credentials can be used for the initial connection to SASjs/server. It is recommended to change these on first use.
 
-* CLIENTID:  `clientID1`
-* USERNAME:  `secretuser`
-* PASSWORD:  `secretpassword`
+- CLIENTID: `clientID1`
+- USERNAME: `secretuser`
+- PASSWORD: `secretpassword`
diff --git a/api/.env.example b/api/.env.example
index c808872..f36cf34 100644
--- a/api/.env.example
+++ b/api/.env.example
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 MODE=[desktop|server] default considered as desktop
-CORS=[disable|enable] default considered as disable
+CORS=[disable|enable] default considered as disable for server MODE & enable for desktop MODE
+WHITELIST=<space separated urls, each starting with protocol `http` or `https`>
 PROTOCOL=[http|https] default considered as http
 PRIVATE_KEY=privkey.pem
 FULL_CHAIN=fullchain.pem
 PORT=[5000] default value is 5000
-PORT_WEB=[port for sasjs web component(react)] default value is 3000
 ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=<secret>
 REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET=<secret>
 AUTH_CODE_SECRET=<secret>
diff --git a/api/src/app.ts b/api/src/app.ts
index cc8bff2..35dfa9b 100644
--- a/api/src/app.ts
+++ b/api/src/app.ts
@@ -16,14 +16,17 @@ dotenv.config()
 
 const app = express()
 
-const { MODE, CORS, PORT_WEB } = process.env
-const whiteList = [
-  `http://localhost:${PORT_WEB ?? 3000}`,
-  'https://sas.analytium.co.uk:8343'
-]
+const { MODE, CORS, WHITELIST } = process.env
 
 if (MODE?.trim() !== 'server' || CORS?.trim() === 'enable') {
-  console.log('All CORS Requests are enabled')
+  const whiteList: string[] = []
+  WHITELIST?.split(' ')?.forEach((url) => {
+    if (url.startsWith('http'))
+      // removing trailing slash of URLs listing for CORS
+      whiteList.push(url.replace(/\/$/, ''))
+  })
+
+  console.log('All CORS Requests are enabled for:', whiteList)
   app.use(cors({ credentials: true, origin: whiteList }))
 }