diff --git a/server/src/utils/env.ts b/server/src/utils/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b4808b0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/utils/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// Helper function to get environment variables and throw an error if they are not set
+export const getEnvVariable = (key: string, defaultValue?: string): string => {
+    const value = process.env[key] || defaultValue;
+    if (!value) {
+        throw new Error(`Environment variable ${key} is not defined`);
+    }
+    return value;
+};
\ No newline at end of file