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Overview

The Soft-Bee API supports multiple environment configurations to facilitate development, testing, and production deployments. The environment is controlled via the FLASK_ENV variable.
The application automatically loads environment-specific configuration files (.env.{environment}) if they exist, allowing you to override settings per environment.

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Available Environments

The API supports four distinct environments:

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Local

Used for local development on your machine.
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FLASK_ENV
string
default:"local"
Set to local for local development environment
FLASK_ENV=local
Configuration Details:
  • DEBUG: True
  • TESTING: False
  • Default Database: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/softbee_local
  • Frontend URL: http://localhost:3000
  • Base URL: http://localhost:5000

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Development

Used for development servers and team collaboration.
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FLASK_ENV
string
Set to development for development server environment
FLASK_ENV=development
Configuration Details:
  • DEBUG: True
  • TESTING: False
  • Default Database: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/softbee_dev

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Production

Used for production deployments.
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FLASK_ENV
string
Set to production for production environment
FLASK_ENV=production
Production environment requires DATABASE_URL, JWT_KEY, and SECRET_KEY to be explicitly set. The application will raise an error if these are missing.
Configuration Details:
  • DEBUG: False
  • TESTING: False
  • Database: Must be provided via DATABASE_URL environment variable
  • Validation: Enforces presence of critical security variables

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Testing

Used for automated testing and CI/CD pipelines.
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FLASK_ENV
string
Set to testing for test environment
FLASK_ENV=testing
Configuration Details:
  • DEBUG: True
  • TESTING: True
  • Default Database: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/softbee_test
  • CSRF Protection: Disabled for easier testing

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Environment Variables

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General Configuration

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SECRET_KEY
string
required
Flask secret key for session management and cryptographic operations
Never use the default value in production. Generate a secure random key.
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here

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URL Configuration

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FRONTEND_URL
string
default:"http://localhost:3000"
URL of the frontend application (used for CORS and redirects)
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BASE_URL
string
default:"http://localhost:5000"
Base URL of the API server
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000

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Environment-Specific Files

You can create environment-specific .env files that override the main .env file: 
FLASK_ENV=local
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/softbee_local
DEBUG=True

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Configuration Loading Priority

The application loads configuration in the following order:
  1. Loads .env file (if exists)
  2. Reads FLASK_ENV variable to determine environment
  3. Loads .env.{environment} file (if exists) - overrides step 1
  4. Applies environment-specific configuration class
  5. Environment variables override all file-based settings
Environment-specific files (.env.{environment}) override values from the main .env file, allowing you to maintain a base configuration with environment-specific overrides.

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Example Setup

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Local Development

# .env
FLASK_ENV=local
SECRET_KEY=dev-secret-key
JWT_KEY=dev-jwt-key
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/softbee_local

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Production Deployment

# Set via environment variables (recommended for production)
export FLASK_ENV=production
export SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
export JWT_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
export DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/softbee_prod
In production, prefer setting sensitive values via environment variables or secret management systems rather than .env files.

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Next Steps

Database Configuration

Learn how to configure PostgreSQL connections

JWT Configuration

Configure authentication and token settings

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