Environment Configuration

Viax supports multiple environments with different backend configurations. Learn how to switch between local development, staging, and production setups.

Environment Types

Development

Local development with Laragon

Backend: localhost
Database: Local MySQL
Hot reload enabled
Debug mode active

Staging

Testing environment

Backend: Staging server
Database: Test database
Mirrors production
Safe for testing

Production

Live environment

Backend: VPS (76.13.114.194)
Database: Production MySQL
Optimized builds
Real user data

Configuration Architecture

Viax uses a centralized configuration system that automatically detects the environment based on the API base URL.

AppConfig Class

Location: lib/src/core/config/app_config.dart

class AppConfig {
  // Environment variable for API URL
  static const String _envBaseUrl = String.fromEnvironment(
    'API_BASE_URL',
    defaultValue: 'http://76.13.114.194', // Production by default
  );
  
  // Auto-detect environment
  static Environment get environment {
    if (_envBaseUrl.contains('localhost') || 
        _envBaseUrl.contains('10.0.2.2') || 
        _envBaseUrl.contains('192.168.')) {
      return Environment.development;
    } else if (_envBaseUrl.contains('staging')) {
      return Environment.staging;
    }
    return Environment.production;
  }
  
  // Base URL getter
  static String get baseUrl => _envBaseUrl;
  
  // Microservice endpoints
  static String get authServiceUrl => '$baseUrl/auth';
  static String get conductorServiceUrl => '$baseUrl/conductor';
  static String get adminServiceUrl => '$baseUrl/admin';
  static String get userServiceUrl => '$baseUrl/user';
}

Environment Setup

Development (Local)

Android Emulator
Physical Device
iOS Simulator
Web Browser

The Android emulator maps localhost to 10.0.2.2.

flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend

Full URL structure:

Base: http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend
Auth: http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/auth
Conductor: http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/conductor
User: http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/user
Admin: http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/admin

Use your computer’s local IP address.Find your IP:

ipconfig
# Look for "IPv4 Address" under your network adapter
# Example: 192.168.1.100

Run with your IP:

flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://192.168.1.100/viax/backend

Ensure your phone and computer are on the same WiFi network.

iOS Simulator can use localhost directly.

flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://localhost/viax/backend

flutter run -d chrome --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://localhost/viax/backend

Staging (Optional)

If you have a staging server:

flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=https://staging.viax.com

Production

Connect to the live VPS server:

# Default - no need to specify
flutter run

# Or explicitly
flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://76.13.114.194

Backend Configuration

Development Backend (Laragon)

File: backend/config/database.php

<?php
class Database {
    private $host = 'localhost';
    private $db_name = 'viax';
    private $username = 'root';
    private $password = 'root';  // Default Laragon password
    private $conn;
    
    public function getConnection() {
        $this->conn = null;
        try {
            $this->conn = new PDO(
                "mysql:host=" . $this->host . ";dbname=" . $this->db_name,
                $this->username,
                $this->password
            );
            $this->conn->exec("set names utf8");
        } catch(PDOException $exception) {
            echo "Connection error: " . $exception->getMessage();
        }
        return $this->conn;
    }
}
?>

Production Backend (VPS)

File: backend/config/database.php

<?php
class Database {
    private $host = 'localhost';  // MySQL on same VPS
    private $db_name = 'viax_production';
    private $username = 'viax_user';
    private $password = 'YOUR_SECURE_PASSWORD_HERE';
    private $conn;
    
    public function getConnection() {
        $this->conn = null;
        try {
            $this->conn = new PDO(
                "mysql:host=" . $this->host . ";dbname=" . $this->db_name,
                $this->username,
                $this->password
            );
            $this->conn->exec("set names utf8mb4");
            $this->conn->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
        } catch(PDOException $exception) {
            error_log("DB Connection error: " . $exception->getMessage());
            // Don't expose details in production
            throw new Exception("Database connection failed");
        }
        return $this->conn;
    }
}
?>

Environment Variables

Flutter Environment Variables

Viax supports custom configuration through Dart defines:

flutter run \
  --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend \
  --dart-define=MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=pk.your_token_here \
  --dart-define=TOMTOM_API_KEY=your_key_here

Available Variables:

API Configuration
Map Services
Feature Flags

# Backend URL
API_BASE_URL=http://76.13.114.194

# Website URL for sharing
WEBSITE_URL=https://viaxcol.online

# Mapbox (for map tiles and routing)
MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN=pk.eyJ1Ijoi...

# TomTom (for traffic data)
TOMTOM_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Enable/disable features
ENABLE_ANALYTICS=true
ENABLE_CRASH_REPORTING=true
ENABLE_OFFLINE_MODE=false

Environment File (Recommended)

Create configuration files for different environments: config/dev.env:

API_BASE_URL=http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend
ENABLE_DEBUG_LOGS=true
ENABLE_ANALYTICS=false

config/prod.env:

API_BASE_URL=http://76.13.114.194
ENABLE_DEBUG_LOGS=false
ENABLE_ANALYTICS=true

Use with scripts:

# Load and run
source config/dev.env && flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=$API_BASE_URL

VS Code Launch Configurations

Create .vscode/launch.json for easy environment switching:

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "Viax (Development)",
      "request": "launch",
      "type": "dart",
      "program": "lib/main.dart",
      "args": [
        "--dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend",
        "--dart-define=ENABLE_DEBUG_LOGS=true"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Viax (Production)",
      "request": "launch",
      "type": "dart",
      "program": "lib/main.dart",
      "args": [
        "--dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://76.13.114.194",
        "--dart-define=ENABLE_DEBUG_LOGS=false"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Viax (Physical Device - Update IP)",
      "request": "launch",
      "type": "dart",
      "program": "lib/main.dart",
      "args": [
        "--dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://192.168.1.100/viax/backend"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Usage:

Press F5 in VS Code
Select configuration from dropdown
App launches with selected environment

Testing Configuration

Verify Backend Connection

Create a simple test to verify your configuration:

// test/config_test.dart
import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;
import 'package:viax/src/core/config/app_config.dart';

void main() {
  test('Backend health check', () async {
    final url = '${AppConfig.baseUrl}/health.php';
    
    try {
      final response = await http.get(Uri.parse(url));
      
      expect(response.statusCode, 200);
      expect(response.body, contains('status'));
      
      print('✅ Backend connected: $url');
      print('Response: ${response.body}');
    } catch (e) {
      fail('❌ Backend connection failed: $e');
    }
  });
  
  test('Environment detection', () {
    print('Current environment: ${AppConfig.environment}');
    print('Base URL: ${AppConfig.baseUrl}');
    print('Auth Service: ${AppConfig.authServiceUrl}');
    
    expect(AppConfig.baseUrl, isNotEmpty);
  });
}

Run test:

flutter test test/config_test.dart

Manual Health Check

Test backend endpoints directly:

curl http://localhost/viax/backend/health.php

# Expected response:
{"status":"ok","timestamp":"2024-11-01 10:30:00"}

URL Structure Reference

Complete URL Mapping

Development (Emulator)
Production

Service	URL
Base	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend`
Health	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/health.php`
Auth Login	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/auth/login.php`
Auth Register	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/auth/register.php`
User Profile	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/user/get_profile.php`
Driver Profile	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/conductor/get_profile.php`
Create Trip	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/user/create_trip_request.php`
Admin Dashboard	`http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/admin/dashboard_stats.php`

Service	URL
Base	`http://76.13.114.194`
Health	`http://76.13.114.194/health.php`
Auth Login	`http://76.13.114.194/auth/login.php`
Auth Register	`http://76.13.114.194/auth/register.php`
User Profile	`http://76.13.114.194/user/get_profile.php`
Driver Profile	`http://76.13.114.194/conductor/get_profile.php`
Create Trip	`http://76.13.114.194/user/create_trip_request.php`
Admin Dashboard	`http://76.13.114.194/admin/dashboard_stats.php`

Build Configurations

Development Build

# Debug build with hot reload
flutter run \
  --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend \
  --debug

Staging Build

# Profile build for performance testing
flutter build apk \
  --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=https://staging.viax.com \
  --profile

Production Build

flutter build apk \
  --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=http://76.13.114.194 \
  --release

# Output: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk

Environment-Specific Features

Debug Mode Features

import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
import 'package:viax/src/core/config/app_config.dart';

class DebugFeatures {
  static bool get isDebugMode => kDebugMode;
  static bool get isDevelopment => 
    AppConfig.environment == Environment.development;
  
  static void logApiCall(String endpoint, Map<String, dynamic> params) {
    if (isDebugMode) {
      print('🌐 API Call: $endpoint');
      print('Parameters: $params');
    }
  }
  
  static void logError(String message, [dynamic error, StackTrace? stack]) {
    if (isDebugMode) {
      print('❌ Error: $message');
      if (error != null) print('Details: $error');
      if (stack != null) print('Stack: $stack');
    }
  }
}

Analytics Control

class AppConfig {
  // ... existing code ...
  
  static bool get enableAnalytics {
    return environment == Environment.production;
  }
  
  static bool get enableCrashReporting {
    return environment == Environment.production;
  }
  
  static Duration get connectionTimeout {
    switch (environment) {
      case Environment.development:
        return Duration(seconds: 60); // Longer for debugging
      case Environment.staging:
        return Duration(seconds: 30);
      case Environment.production:
        return Duration(seconds: 15);
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused (Emulator)

Problem: Can’t connect to localhost from Android emulatorSolution:

Use 10.0.2.2 instead of localhost
Verify Laragon/backend is running
Check firewall settings

# Test from emulator terminal (adb shell)
curl http://10.0.2.2/viax/backend/health.php

Connection Refused (Physical Device)

Problem: Can’t connect using local IPSolution:

Verify same WiFi network
Check IP address is correct
Disable firewall temporarily to test
Use explicit IP, not hostname

# Ping from device
ping 192.168.1.100

Environment Not Detected

Problem: App using wrong environmentSolution:

Verify --dart-define syntax
Check for typos in URL
Print environment in app:

print('Environment: ${AppConfig.environment}');
print('Base URL: ${AppConfig.baseUrl}');

Cached Old Configuration

Problem: App still using old base URLSolution:

# Clean and rebuild
flutter clean
flutter pub get
flutter run --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=your_new_url

Best Practices

Never Hardcode URLs

Always use AppConfig.baseUrl instead of hardcoded URLs in your code.

Use Launch Configs

Set up VS Code launch configurations for quick environment switching.

Test All Environments

Test features in development before deploying to production.

Secure Production

Use HTTPS, strong passwords, and proper authentication in production.

Configuration Complete! You can now switch between environments seamlessly and configure Viax for any deployment scenario.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Setup & Deployment

​Environment Configuration

​Environment Types

Development

Staging

Production

​Configuration Architecture

​AppConfig Class

​Environment Setup

​Development (Local)

​Staging (Optional)

​Production

​Backend Configuration

​Development Backend (Laragon)

​Production Backend (VPS)

​Environment Variables

​Flutter Environment Variables

​Environment File (Recommended)

​VS Code Launch Configurations

​Testing Configuration

​Verify Backend Connection

​Manual Health Check

​URL Structure Reference

​Complete URL Mapping

​Build Configurations

​Development Build

​Staging Build

​Production Build

​Environment-Specific Features

​Debug Mode Features

​Analytics Control

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

Never Hardcode URLs

Use Launch Configs

Test All Environments

Secure Production

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Environment Configuration

Environment Types

Configuration Architecture

AppConfig Class

Environment Setup

Development (Local)

Staging (Optional)

Production

Backend Configuration

Development Backend (Laragon)

Production Backend (VPS)

Environment Variables

Flutter Environment Variables

Environment File (Recommended)

VS Code Launch Configurations

Testing Configuration

Verify Backend Connection

Manual Health Check

URL Structure Reference

Complete URL Mapping

Build Configurations

Development Build

Staging Build

Production Build

Environment-Specific Features

Debug Mode Features

Analytics Control

Troubleshooting

Best Practices