Environment Setup

This project supports multiple environments with different configurations for development, testing, staging, and production.

Overview

Pet Tracker uses environment-specific configuration to manage:

• API endpoints
• Feature flags
• Logging levels
• Analytics settings
• Database configurations
• Third-party service keys

Environment Types

Development

• Purpose: Local development and debugging
• Features: Debug mode, detailed logging, local APIs
• Database: Local development database
• Analytics: Disabled for privacy

Testing

• Purpose: Automated testing and QA
• Features: Test APIs, separate database, mock services
• Database: Isolated test database
• Analytics: Disabled to avoid test data pollution

Staging

• Purpose: Pre-production testing
• Features: Production-like environment for final validation
• Database: Staging database with production-like data
• Analytics: Enabled for testing analytics integration

Production

• Purpose: Live application for end users
• Features: Optimized performance, minimal logging
• Database: Production database
• Analytics: Fully enabled for user insights

Quick Setup

1. Copy the example environment file:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Choose your environment by editing .env:

   EXPO_PUBLIC_ENV=development
   APP_VARIANT=development

3. Start with environment-specific commands:

   npm run start:dev      # Development
   npm run start:test     # Testing
   npm run start:staging  # Staging
   npm run start:prod     # Production

Environment Variables

Core Configuration

Variable	Description	Example
EXPO_PUBLIC_ENV	Current environment	development
APP_VARIANT	App variant for builds	development
EXPO_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL	API base URL	http://localhost:3001
EXPO_PUBLIC_API_TIMEOUT	API timeout in ms	10000

Feature Flags

Variable	Description	Default
EXPO_PUBLIC_ENABLE_LOGGING	Enable console logging	true (dev)
EXPO_PUBLIC_ENABLE_DEBUG	Enable debug mode	true (dev)
EXPO_PUBLIC_ENABLE_ANALYTICS	Enable analytics	false (dev)
EXPO_PUBLIC_ENABLE_CRASH_REPORTING	Enable crash reporting	false (dev)

External Services

Variable	Description	Where to Get
EXPO_PUBLIC_SENTRY_DSN	Error tracking	Sentry.io
EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_ENABLED	Firebase analytics	Firebase Console
EXPO_PUBLIC_MIXPANEL_TOKEN	Mixpanel analytics	Mixpanel Dashboard
EXPO_PUBLIC_AMPLITUDE_API_KEY	Amplitude analytics	Amplitude Dashboard

Environment-Specific Scripts

Development Commands

npm run start:dev        # Start development server
npm run android:dev      # Start Android development
npm run ios:dev          # Start iOS development
npm run build:dev        # Build development version

Testing Commands

npm run start:test       # Start testing server
npm run android:test     # Start Android testing
npm run ios:test         # Start iOS testing
npm run build:test       # Build testing version

Staging Commands

npm run start:staging    # Start staging server
npm run android:staging  # Start Android staging
npm run ios:staging      # Start iOS staging
npm run build:staging    # Build staging version

Production Commands

npm run start:prod       # Start production server
npm run build:prod       # Build production version
npm run submit:prod      # Submit to app stores

Configuration in Code

Access environment configuration in your React Native code:

import { config } from '@/config';

// Environment information
console.log(config.environment); // 'development'
console.log(config.apiBaseUrl); // 'http://localhost:3001'
console.log(config.enableLogging); // true

// Feature flags
if (config.features.enableOfflineMode) {
  // Enable offline functionality
}

// Environment-specific behavior
if (config.environment === 'development') {
  // Development-only code
}

Logging

Use the environment-aware logger:

import { logger } from '@/utils';

logger.debug('Debug message'); // Only in dev/testing
logger.info('Info message'); // When logging enabled
logger.warn('Warning message'); // Always when logging enabled
logger.error('Error message'); // Always when logging enabled

Build Configuration

Different app variants are created for each environment:

Development

• App Name: Pet Tracker (Dev)
• Bundle ID: com.pettracker.app.dev
• Icon: Development icon with overlay

Staging

• App Name: Pet Tracker (Staging)
• Bundle ID: com.pettracker.app.staging
• Icon: Staging icon with overlay

Production

• App Name: Pet Tracker
• Bundle ID: com.pettracker.app
• Icon: Production icon

Security Best Practices

Environment Files

• ✅ Keep .env.example with dummy values
• ✅ Add all .env.* files to .gitignore
• ✅ Never commit real API keys or secrets
• ✅ Use different service accounts per environment

Key Management

• 🔐 Use separate API keys for each environment
• 🔐 Rotate production keys regularly
• 🔐 Limit permissions to minimum required
• 🔐 Monitor key usage for anomalies

Data Isolation

• 🏗️ Use separate databases per environment
• 🏗️ Prefix storage keys with environment
• 🏗️ Isolate analytics and error tracking
• 🏗️ Test data migrations in staging first

Troubleshooting

Environment Not Loading

# Check environment variable
echo $EXPO_PUBLIC_ENV

# Verify config loading
npm run type-check

Build Issues

# Clear Expo cache
npx expo start --clear

# Reset environment
rm .env && cp .env.example .env

API Connection Issues

# Check API URL in logs
npm run start:dev

# Test API endpoint
curl $EXPO_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL/health

Next Steps

• Analytics Setup - Set up analytics services
• Error Tracking - Configure error tracking
• Building - Build for different environments