Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Emmanuel-Mtz-777/TechStore-Explorer/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
All TechStore Explorer configuration is managed through a single .env file at the root of the project. This file is never committed to version control — instead, a .env.example template is provided that lists every supported variable with safe default values. Before running the application for the first time, copy the example file and fill in the values that match your local environment:
The sections below document every variable group you need to configure.
Application Settings
These variables control the core identity and runtime behaviour of the Laravel application.
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
APP_NAME | Laravel | The human-readable name of the application. Appears in email subjects and the UI. Set to TechStore for consistency with the project. |
APP_ENV | local | The current environment. Use local for development, production for live deployments. |
APP_DEBUG | true | When true, detailed error pages with stack traces are shown. Set to false in production to avoid leaking sensitive information. |
APP_URL | http://localhost | The base URL of the application. Used when generating URLs in emails and API responses. Set to http://127.0.0.1:8000 for local development. |
Database
TechStore Explorer requires MySQL. The application stores users, roles, wishlist entries, sessions, cache entries, and queue jobs in this database. The DB_CONNECTION variable must be set to mysql.
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
DB_CONNECTION | mysql | The database driver. Must be mysql for TechStore Explorer. |
DB_HOST | 127.0.0.1 | Hostname or IP address of the MySQL server. |
DB_PORT | 3306 | TCP port on which MySQL is listening. |
DB_DATABASE | techexplorer | Name of the MySQL database to connect to. Create this database before running migrations. |
DB_USERNAME | root | MySQL user with full permissions on DB_DATABASE. |
DB_PASSWORD | (empty) | Password for the MySQL user. Leave empty if your local MySQL has no root password. |
The .env.example file ships with the database variables commented out. Uncomment and populate them before running php artisan migrate.
Mail (Mailtrap)
TechStore Explorer dispatches email notifications when users modify their wishlist. In development, Mailtrap Sandbox SMTP is used to intercept outgoing mail so it never reaches real recipients — all sent messages appear directly in your Mailtrap inbox for inspection.
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
MAIL_MAILER | log | The mail transport to use. Set to smtp to enable Mailtrap delivery. The log default writes emails to the Laravel log file instead of sending them. |
MAIL_SCHEME | null | Encryption scheme for the mail connection. Set to tls when using Mailtrap Sandbox SMTP. |
MAIL_HOST | 127.0.0.1 | SMTP hostname. Set to sandbox.smtp.mailtrap.io when using Mailtrap Sandbox. |
MAIL_PORT | 2525 | SMTP port. Mailtrap Sandbox listens on port 2525. |
MAIL_USERNAME | null | Your Mailtrap inbox SMTP username. Found in Mailtrap → Inbox → SMTP Settings. |
MAIL_PASSWORD | null | Your Mailtrap inbox SMTP password. Found alongside the username in SMTP Settings. |
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS | hello@example.com | The sender address that appears on all outgoing emails. |
MAIL_FROM_NAME | ${APP_NAME} | The sender display name. Defaults to the value of APP_NAME. |
Queue
TechStore Explorer uses Laravel’s queue system to process email notifications asynchronously, ensuring that wishlist operations return instantly to the user without waiting for SMTP delivery.
The default queue connection is database, which means pending jobs are stored in the jobs table created by the migrations. A dedicated queue worker process must be running to consume and execute these jobs.
Start the worker with:
If the worker is not running, wishlist emails will accumulate in the jobs table and will only be sent once the worker starts.
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|
QUEUE_CONNECTION | database | The queue backend driver. database stores jobs in MySQL — no additional services like Redis are required. |
Complete .env Example
The following is a fully populated .env file ready for local development with Mailtrap:
APP_NAME=TechStore
APP_ENV=local
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8000
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=techexplorer
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=password
MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_SCHEME=tls
MAIL_HOST=sandbox.smtp.mailtrap.io
MAIL_PORT=2525
MAIL_USERNAME=your_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_password
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=hello@example.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
your_username and your_password with the credentials from your Mailtrap Sandbox inbox, and update the database values to match your local MySQL setup.
Instead of starting the server, queue worker, and Vite separately, run composer run dev to launch all four processes — server, queue listener (queue:listen), Pail log watcher, and Vite — concurrently in a single terminal session. This is the recommended workflow for local development.
