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This guide covers all required environment variables and configuration settings for the ExpireEye Backend API.

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Prerequisites

Before configuring your environment, ensure you have:
  • Python 3.8 or higher installed
  • MySQL database server running
  • Access to external services (Cloudinary, API Ninjas)
  • A text editor for creating .env files

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Environment Variables

The ExpireEye Backend requires several environment variables for database connectivity, authentication, and external service integrations.

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Creating Your Environment File

1

Copy the example file

Start by copying the example environment file:
cp .env.example .env
2

Configure the variables

Open .env in your text editor and update all values according to the sections below.

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Database Configuration

The application uses MySQL with PyMySQL driver. Configure these variables for your database connection:
.env
DB_USER=your_db_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
DB_HOST=your_db_host
DB_PORT=3306
DB_NAME=your_db_name
The database connection is configured in app/db/session.py using the format: mysql+pymysql://{DB_USER}:{DB_PASSWORD}@{DB_HOST}:{DB_PORT}/{DB_NAME}
Configuration Details:
VariableDescriptionExample
DB_USERMySQL database usernameexpireeye_user
DB_PASSWORDMySQL database passwordSecureP@ssw0rd
DB_HOSTDatabase host addresslocalhost or mysql.example.com
DB_PORTMySQL port number3306 (default)
DB_NAMETarget database nameexpireeye_db
Ensure your database user has sufficient privileges to create/modify tables, as Alembic migrations will need to execute DDL statements.

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JWT Authentication

The application uses JWT tokens for API authentication. Configure a strong secret key:
.env
SECRET_KEY=your_jwt_secret_token
Best Practices:
  • Use a cryptographically strong random string (minimum 32 characters)
  • Never commit your actual secret key to version control
  • Rotate keys periodically in production environments
Generate a secure key using Python: 
import secrets
print(secrets.token_urlsafe(32))
The JWT configuration in app/utils/jwt.py sets tokens to expire after 4000 minutes. Access tokens are validated via the Authorization: Bearer <token> header on all protected endpoints.

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Cloudinary Integration

ExpireEye uses Cloudinary for image storage and management. Configure your Cloudinary credentials:
.env
cloud_name = "your_cloud_name"
api_key = "your_api_key"
api_secret = "your_api_secret"
How to obtain Cloudinary credentials:
1

Create a Cloudinary account

Sign up at https://cloudinary.com if you don’t have an account.
2

Access your dashboard

Navigate to your Cloudinary Dashboard after logging in.
3

Copy credentials

Find your Cloud name, API Key, and API Secret in the Account Details section.

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External API Keys

The application integrates with API Ninjas for nutrition data:
.env
NUTRITION_API_KEY=your_api_ninja_nutrition_key
Get your API key from API Ninjas by:
  1. Creating a free account
  2. Navigating to the API dashboard
  3. Generating a new API key for the Nutrition API

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Connection Pool Settings

The database connection pool is configured in app/db/session.py with the following settings:
app/db/session.py
engine = create_engine(
    DATABASE_URL,
    pool_pre_ping=True,      # Verify connections before use
    pool_recycle=3600,       # Recycle connections every hour
    pool_size=10,            # Number of permanent connections
    max_overflow=5,          # Additional connections when needed
    echo=False,              # Set to True for SQL query logging
)
For development environments, you can set echo=True to log all SQL queries for debugging purposes.

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Verifying Your Configuration

After setting up your environment variables, verify the configuration: 
python -c "from app.db.session import engine; print('Connection successful!' if engine.connect() else 'Connection failed')"

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Environment-Specific Configurations

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Development

.env
# Development settings
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306

# Enable SQL logging
# Modify app/db/session.py: echo=True

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Production

.env
# Production settings
DB_HOST=production-mysql-server.com
DB_PORT=3306

# Use strong credentials
SECRET_KEY=<generated-secure-key>
In production environments:
  • Never use default or weak passwords
  • Enable SSL/TLS for database connections
  • Store secrets in a secure vault (AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, etc.)
  • Use environment-specific .env files and never commit them to version control

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Troubleshooting

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Database Connection Issues

If you encounter database connection errors:
  1. Verify MySQL is running: systemctl status mysql or brew services list
  2. Check credentials: Ensure DB_USER has proper permissions
  3. Test connectivity: Use mysql -u {DB_USER} -p -h {DB_HOST} to test manually
  4. Check firewall: Ensure port 3306 is accessible

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JWT Token Issues

If authentication fails:
  1. Verify SECRET_KEY is set and non-empty
  2. Check token expiration settings in app/utils/jwt.py
  3. Ensure the Authorization header format is correct: Bearer <token>

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Import Errors

If you see module import errors: 
# Ensure you're in the project root and virtual environment is activated
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

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Next Steps

After configuring your environment:
  1. Run database migrations to set up your schema
  2. Deploy to production when ready

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Additional Resources

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