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After installation, customize NutriFit’s configuration to match your environment and requirements.

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Environment File

All configuration is managed through the .env file in your project root. This file is created during installation from .env.example.
Never commit .env to version control. It contains sensitive credentials and environment-specific settings.

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Application Settings

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Basic Configuration

APP_NAME="NutriFit"
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=base64:...
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost:8000

APP_NAME

Displayed in browser title, emails, and notifications. Change to match your brand.

APP_ENV

Set to local for development, production for live sites. Affects error handling.

APP_KEY

Auto-generated encryption key. Never share this. Regenerate with php artisan key:generate.

APP_DEBUG

Shows detailed errors when true. Must be false in production for security.

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Localization

APP_LOCALE=es
APP_FALLBACK_LOCALE=es
APP_FAKER_LOCALE=en_US
NutriFit defaults to Spanish (es). Change APP_LOCALE to:
  • en - English
  • es - Spanish
  • pt - Portuguese

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Maintenance Mode

APP_MAINTENANCE_DRIVER=file
# APP_MAINTENANCE_STORE=database
Controls how maintenance mode state is stored. Use file for single-server setups, database for multi-server.

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Database Configuration

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SQLite (Development)

Default configuration for local development: 
DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
No additional settings needed. Database file is located at database/database.sqlite.
SQLite is perfect for development but not recommended for production with multiple concurrent users.

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MySQL (Production)

For production environments, use MySQL: 
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=nutrifit
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
1

Create Database

Create a new MySQL database:
CREATE DATABASE nutrifit 
  CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 
  COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
2

Create User (Optional)

For security, create a dedicated database user:
CREATE USER 'nutrifit_user'@'localhost' 
  IDENTIFIED BY 'secure_password';

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nutrifit.* 
  TO 'nutrifit_user'@'localhost';

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
3

Update .env

Update database credentials in .env:
DB_USERNAME=nutrifit_user
DB_PASSWORD=secure_password
4

Run Migrations

Migrate the database:
php artisan migrate --force

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Remote Database

For cloud databases (AWS RDS, DigitalOcean, etc.): 
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=db.example.com
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=nutrifit_prod
DB_USERNAME=nutrifit_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_password
DB_SSLMODE=require  # For encrypted connections

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Mail Configuration

NutriFit sends email notifications for appointments, confirmations, and reminders.

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Development (Mailtrap)

Mailtrap captures emails in development without sending them: 
MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=sandbox.smtp.mailtrap.io
MAIL_PORT=2525
MAIL_USERNAME=your_mailtrap_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_mailtrap_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="[email protected]"
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
1

Sign Up

Create a free account at mailtrap.io
2

Get Credentials

Go to Email Testing → Inboxes → SMTP Settings
3

Copy to .env

Copy the username and password to your .env file

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Development (Log Driver)

Alternatively, log emails to storage/logs/laravel.log: 
MAIL_MAILER=log
Emails won’t be sent but will be written to the log file for inspection.

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Production (SMTP)

For production, use a real SMTP service:

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Gmail

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=587
[email protected]
MAIL_PASSWORD=your-app-password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="[email protected]"
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
For Gmail, you must use an App Password, not your regular password.

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SendGrid

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=apikey
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_sendgrid_api_key
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="[email protected]"
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

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Mailgun

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailgun.org
MAIL_PORT=587
[email protected]
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_mailgun_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="[email protected]"
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

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Test Email Configuration

Verify email setup: 
php artisan tinker
Then run: 
Mail::raw('Test email from NutriFit', function ($message) {
    $message->to('[email protected]')
            ->subject('Test Email');
});
Check your inbox (or Mailtrap) for the test email.

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Queue Configuration

Queues handle background jobs like sending emails asynchronously.

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Database Queue (Default)

QUEUE_CONNECTION=database
Jobs are stored in the jobs table. This is the recommended setup for most applications.
You must run a queue worker for emails to be sent:
php artisan queue:work
Or use composer run dev which includes the queue worker.

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Redis Queue (Advanced)

For high-traffic applications, Redis provides better performance: 
QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis

REDIS_CLIENT=phpredis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PASSWORD=null
REDIS_PORT=6379
Requires Redis server and PHP Redis extension: 
sudo apt-get install redis-server php-redis

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Sync Queue (Testing)

For testing, process jobs immediately without a worker: 
QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync
Never use sync in production. It blocks the request until the job completes.

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Session Configuration

SESSION_DRIVER=database
SESSION_LIFETIME=120
SESSION_ENCRYPT=false
  • SESSION_DRIVER: Where to store session data (file, database, redis)
  • SESSION_LIFETIME: Minutes before session expires (120 = 2 hours)
  • SESSION_ENCRYPT: Encrypt session data (recommended for sensitive apps)

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Cache Configuration

CACHE_STORE=database
Options:
  • database - Store in database (default)
  • file - Store in files
  • redis - Store in Redis (fastest)
  • array - Memory only (testing)
For production with high traffic, use Redis: 
CACHE_STORE=redis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PORT=6379

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Filesystem Configuration

FILESYSTEM_DISK=local
For storing uploads and generated files:
  • local - Store in storage/app (default)
  • public - Store in storage/app/public (publicly accessible)
  • s3 - Store in Amazon S3 (requires configuration)

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Security Settings

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Bcrypt Rounds

BCRYPT_ROUNDS=12
Higher values = more secure but slower password hashing. 12 is recommended.

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Production Checklist

1

Disable Debug Mode

APP_DEBUG=false
2

Set Production Environment

APP_ENV=production
3

Use HTTPS

APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com
4

Strong Database Password

Use a long, random password with special characters.
5

Configure Proper Mail Service

Don’t use Mailtrap or log driver in production.
6

Set Up Queue Worker

Use Supervisor to keep queue worker running:
[program:nutrifit-worker]
process_name=%(program_name)s_%(process_num)02d
command=php /path/to/nutrifit/artisan queue:work --sleep=3 --tries=3
autostart=true
autorestart=true
user=www-data
numprocs=2
redirect_stderr=true
stdout_logfile=/path/to/nutrifit/storage/logs/worker.log

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Performance Optimization

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Cache Configuration

After making config changes: 
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache

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Clear All Caches

During development: 
php artisan optimize:clear
This clears config, route, view, and application cache.

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Verify Configuration

Check current configuration: 
# View all config
php artisan config:show

# View specific section
php artisan config:show database
php artisan config:show mail

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Next Steps

Getting Started

Learn about NutriFit’s features and core concepts

Architecture

Understand the system architecture and design patterns

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