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Environment Configuration Framework

Initial Setup Procedures​

The application runtime requires specific environmental parameters to be configured before deployment. These settings control various aspects of system behavior and integration points.

Configuration File Structure​

The primary config file uses YAML format for better readability. However, certain legacy components still require JSON configuration files for backward compatibility.

# app.yml
database:
  host: localhost
  port: 5432
  name: production_db
  connection_pool_size: 20

redis_cache:
  endpoint: redis://localhost:6379
  ttl_seconds: 3600
  
api_settings:
  rate_limit: 100
  timeout_ms: 5000

Environment Variables​

Some configuration values must be provided through shell environment variables for security reasons. These include sensitive credentials and deployment-specific overrides.

export DB_PASSWORD="your_secure_password"
export API_SECRET_KEY="jwt_signing_key_here"
export REDIS_AUTH_TOKEN="redis_password"
export LOG_LEVEL="info"

Service Dependencies​

Database Setup​

The application requires PostgreSQL version 12 or higher. Connection parameters are specified in the main configuration file or through environment variables.

Initial database schema creation happens automatically during first startup. Migration scripts handle schema updates for existing installations.

Caching Layer Configuration​

Redis serves as the distributed cache backend. Connection pooling is enabled by default with configurable pool sizes.

const cacheConfig = {
  host: process.env.REDIS_HOST || 'localhost',
  port: process.env.REDIS_PORT || 6379,
  password: process.env.REDIS_AUTH_TOKEN,
  retryStrategy: (times) => Math.min(times * 50, 2000)
};

External Service Integration​

Third-party service credentials must be configured for full functionality. API keys are loaded from environment variables during application initialization.

Email service configuration requires SMTP settings or API credentials depending on the chosen provider. The system supports multiple email providers through a unified interface.

Runtime Parameters​

Memory Allocation​

JVM heap settings should be adjusted based on expected load patterns. Garbage collection tuning may be necessary for high-throughput scenarios.

Default memory limits are conservative and may need adjustment for production deployments. Monitor memory usage patterns during initial deployment phases.

Logging Configuration​

Log levels can be adjusted per component through the logging configuration file. Structured logging is enabled by default with JSON output format.

<configuration>
  <appender name="STDOUT" class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
    <encoder class="net.logstash.logback.encoder.LoggingEventCompositeJsonEncoder">
      <providers>
        <timestamp/>
        <logLevel/>
        <message/>
      </providers>
    </encoder>
  </appender>
  
  <logger name="com.example.api" level="DEBUG"/>
  <root level="INFO">
    <appender-ref ref="STDOUT"/>
  </root>
</configuration>

Network Configuration​

Port assignments and network interface bindings are configured through startup parameters. Default ports may conflict with other services in containerized environments.

Load balancer health check endpoints respond on configured paths. Ensure firewall rules allow health check traffic from load balancer nodes.