ENVIRONMENT_SETUP.md

Environment Setup for SecureShift2

This document explains how to set up environment variables for the SecureShift2 project.

# API Configuration
EXPO_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/v1

# Development Environment
NODE_ENV=development

Employer Panel (React)

The employer panel uses React environment variables. Create a .env file in the app-frontend/employer-panel/ directory:

# API Configuration
REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/v1

# Development Environment
NODE_ENV=development

Note: The employer panel now uses a centralized Axios instance with authorization interceptors in src/lib/http.js.

Backend API

The backend API runs on http://localhost:5000/api/v1 by default.

Features Implemented

Centralized Axios Instances

Both applications now have centralized Axios instances that:

1. Automatically attach JWT tokens from storage (AsyncStorage for React Native, localStorage for React)
2. Handle 401 Unauthorized errors by clearing tokens and triggering logout
3. Use environment variables for API base URLs
4. Include proper timeout handling (20 seconds)

Environment Variables

• Employer Panel: Uses REACT_APP_API_BASE_URL

Updated Files

Employer Panel:

• src/lib/http.js - New centralized Axios instance
• src/pages/Login.js - Updated to use centralized instance
• src/pages/2FA.js - Updated to use centralized instance
• src/pages/createShift.js - Updated to use centralized instance
• src/pages/ExpressionOfInterest.js - Updated to use centralized instance
• package.json - Added axios dependency
• .env.example - Created for reference

Usage

1. Copy the respective .env.example files to .env in each application directory
2. Update the API base URL if your backend runs on a different port
3. Install dependencies: npm install in each application directory
4. Start the applications as usual

The centralized Axios instances will automatically handle authentication and error management.