Environment Configuration Guide for iDrv5-MyFR8

The iDrv5-MyFR8 application now uses a centralized configuration system that loads settings from environment files.

Overview

The iDrv5-MyFR8 application now uses a centralized configuration system that loads settings from environment files. This provides a single source of truth for database connections and other application settings.

Environment Files

Development Environment (`.env.dev`)

Used for local development and testing.

Production Environment (`.env`)

Used for production deployments.

Database Configuration

The application uses a single DATABASE_URL environment variable for all database connections. This eliminates the need for hardcoded database URLs throughout the codebase.

Setting up Development Environment

Copy the development template:
Terminal window
```
cp .env.dev .env.dev.local
```

Update the DATABASE_URL in .env.dev:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:YOUR_PASSWORD@YOUR_HOST:5432/YOUR_DATABASE

Run the application:
Terminal window
```
FLASK_ENV=development python main.py
```

Setting up Production Environment

Create production environment file:
Terminal window
```
cp .env.example .env
```

Update the DATABASE_URL in .env:

FLASK_ENV=production
FLASK_DEBUG=False
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://myfr8_user:your_secure_password@localhost:5432/idrv5_myfr8
SESSION_SECRET=your_super_secure_session_secret_here_minimum_32_characters
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_jwt_secret_key_here_minimum_32_characters

Run the application:
Terminal window
```
FLASK_ENV=production python main.py
```

Configuration System

Centralized Config Class

The utils/config.py file contains a centralized configuration class that:

Automatically loads the appropriate environment file based on FLASK_ENV
Validates required configuration variables
Provides type-safe access to configuration values
Handles database connection parameters

Usage in Code

from utils.config import config

# Access database URL
database_url = config.database_url

# Access other settings
app_name = config.system_name
debug_mode = config.flask_debug

Environment Variables

Required Variables

DATABASE_URL: PostgreSQL connection string
SESSION_SECRET: Secret key for session management
JWT_SECRET_KEY: Secret key for JWT tokens

Optional Variables

FLASK_ENV: Environment mode (development/production)
FLASK_DEBUG: Debug mode (True/False)
SYSTEM_NAME: Application name
COMPANY_NAME: Company name
SERVER_NAME: Server domain name
PREFERRED_URL_SCHEME: URL scheme (http/https)
UPLOAD_FOLDER: File upload directory

Database Connection Examples

Local PostgreSQL

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/idrv5_myfr8

Remote PostgreSQL (AWS RDS)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@your-rds-endpoint.amazonaws.com:5432/database_name

Docker PostgreSQL

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://myfr8_user:password@db:5432/idrv5_myfr8

Switching Between Environments

Method 1: Environment Variable

# For development
export FLASK_ENV=development
python main.py

# For production
export FLASK_ENV=production
python main.py

Method 2: Direct File Selection

The system automatically selects:

.env.dev for development
.env for production

Security Considerations

Never commit environment files containing real credentials to version control
Use strong, unique secrets for production deployments
Regularly rotate secrets in production
Use SSL/TLS for database connections in production

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

“DATABASE_URL not configured”
- Ensure the appropriate environment file exists
- Check that DATABASE_URL is set in the environment file
“Missing required environment variables”
- Verify all required variables are present in the environment file
Database connection errors
- Check database server is running
- Verify connection parameters are correct
- Ensure database user has proper permissions

Debugging

Enable debug logging to see which environment file is being loaded:

import logging
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

Migration from Old System

The new system replaces hardcoded database URLs in:

models/database.py
utils/database.py
utils/database_context.py
API files

All database connections now use the centralized configuration system.

Example Environment Files

Development (`.env.dev`)

FLASK_ENV=development
FLASK_DEBUG=True
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:dev_password@localhost:5432/idrv5_dev
SESSION_SECRET=dev_session_secret_32_characters_min
JWT_SECRET_KEY=dev_jwt_secret_32_characters_min
SYSTEM_NAME=iDrv5-MyFR8
COMPANY_NAME=MyFR8 Logistics

Production (`.env`)

FLASK_ENV=production
FLASK_DEBUG=False
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://myfr8_user:secure_prod_password@prod-db.example.com:5432/idrv5_myfr8
SESSION_SECRET=super_secure_session_secret_64_characters_minimum_for_production
JWT_SECRET_KEY=super_secure_jwt_secret_64_characters_minimum_for_production
SYSTEM_NAME=iDrv5-MyFR8
COMPANY_NAME=MyFR8 Logistics
SERVER_NAME=your-domain.com
PREFERRED_URL_SCHEME=https
UPLOAD_FOLDER=/opt/idrv5-myfr8/static/uploads