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This guide covers all configuration steps needed to run Tesis Rutas locally and in production.

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Configuration Overview

Tesis Rutas uses environment variables for configuration. The application can read configuration from:
  1. Environment variables (.env file or system variables) - Recommended for production
  2. local_config.json - Optional for local development
The configuration system is defined in src/config/settings.py and uses Pydantic Settings for validation.

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Required Environment Variables

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MongoDB Configuration

Tesis Rutas uses MongoDB for data storage.
1

Get MongoDB connection string

You can use:
  • MongoDB Atlas (cloud) - Recommended
  • Local MongoDB instance
For MongoDB Atlas:
  1. Create a free account at mongodb.com/cloud/atlas
  2. Create a new cluster
  3. Get your connection string (format: mongodb+srv://username:[email protected]/)
2

Set MongoDB variables

MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://username:[email protected]/
MONGO_DB=turismo_digital_uce
Never commit local_config.json or .env files to version control. These files contain sensitive credentials.

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Cloudinary Configuration

Cloudinary is used for image and media storage.
1

Create Cloudinary account

  1. Sign up at cloudinary.com
  2. Navigate to your Dashboard
  3. Copy your Cloud Name, API Key, and API Secret
2

Set Cloudinary variables

CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret
These credentials are configured in src/infrastructure/services/cloudinary_config.py.

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JWT Authentication

JWT tokens are used for user authentication and authorization.
1

Generate JWT secret key

Generate a secure random secret key:
python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(32))"
2

Set JWT variables

JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_generated_secret_key
JWT_ALGORITHM=HS256
JWT_EXPIRE_MINUTES=60
Use a strong, randomly generated secret key. Never use the default or share it publicly.

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Configuration File Locations

# Place in project root directory
tesis-rutas/
├── .env              # ← Backend environment variables
├── requirements.txt
├── src/
└── frontend/

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Complete Configuration Example

# MongoDB
MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://user:[email protected]/
MONGO_DB=turismo_digital_uce

# Cloudinary
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=123456789012345
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

# JWT
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_secure_random_key_here
JWT_ALGORITHM=HS256
JWT_EXPIRE_MINUTES=60

# Application
DEBUG=false

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Frontend Configuration

The frontend needs to know where the backend API is running.
1

Development - Update API base URL

In your frontend code (typically in src/config/api.js or similar), set:
const API_BASE_URL = 'http://localhost:8000';
2

Production - Update CORS origins

Update allowed origins in src/infrastructure/api/main.py:
origins = [
    "http://localhost:5173",              # Local development
    "https://your-frontend.vercel.app",   # Production frontend
]

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Verify Configuration

Test your configuration to ensure everything is set up correctly:
1

Test MongoDB connection

python -c "from src.infrastructure.database.mongo_config import get_database; db = get_database(); print('✅ MongoDB connected')"
You should see: ✅ Conectado a MongoDB (turismo_digital_uce) correctamente.
2

Test Cloudinary connection

python -c "from src.infrastructure.services.cloudinary_config import cloudinary; print('✅ Cloudinary configured')"
3

Run the application

Start the backend server:
uvicorn src.infrastructure.api.main:app --reload
Visit http://localhost:8000 - you should see:
{"message": "API de Turismo Digital UCE funcionando correctamente 🚀"}

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Troubleshooting

Problem: ServerSelectionTimeoutError when connecting to MongoDBSolutions:
  • Verify your MONGO_URI is correct
  • Check that your IP address is whitelisted in MongoDB Atlas (Network Access)
  • Ensure your database user has proper permissions
  • Check your internet connection
Problem: Application can’t find configuration variablesSolutions:
  • For .env file: Place it in the project root directory
  • For local_config.json: Place it in src/config/ directory
  • Verify file names are exact (case-sensitive)
  • Check that environment variables are properly formatted
Problem: Images fail to upload to CloudinarySolutions:
  • Verify all three Cloudinary credentials are set correctly
  • Check that your API key and secret have no extra spaces
  • Ensure your Cloudinary account is active
Problem: Token validation failsSolutions:
  • Ensure JWT_SECRET_KEY is set and consistent across restarts
  • Verify JWT_ALGORITHM is set to HS256
  • Check that tokens haven’t expired (default: 60 minutes)

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Next Steps

Run locally

Start the development server:
# Backend
uvicorn src.infrastructure.api.main:app --reload

# Frontend (in another terminal)
cd frontend && npm run dev

Deploy to production

Learn how to deploy your configured application

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