Configurations

GoFr simplifies configuration management by reading configuration via environment variables. Application code is decoupled from how configuration is managed as per the {%new-tab-link title="12-factor" href="https://12factor.net/config" %}. Configs in GoFr can be used to initialize datasources, tracing, setting log levels, changing default HTTP or metrics port. This abstraction provides a user-friendly interface for configuring user's application without modifying the code itself.

To set configs create a configs directory in the project's root and add .env file.

Follow this directory structure within the GoFr project:

my-gofr-app/
├── configs/
│   ├── .local.env
│   ├── .dev.env
│   ├── .staging.env
│   └── .prod.env
├── main.go
└── ...

By default, GoFr starts HTTP server at port 8000, in order to change that we can add the config HTTP_PORT Similarly to Set the app-name user can add APP_NAME. For example:

# configs/.env

APP_NAME=test-service
HTTP_PORT=8001

Configuring Environments in GoFr

GoFr uses an environment variable, APP_ENV, to determine the application's current environment. This variable also guides GoFr to load the corresponding environment file.

Example:

GoFr always loads configs/.env first (if present) as the base, then overlays configs/.<APP_ENV>.env on top. The overlay file's values override matching keys from .env; keys not set in the overlay continue to come from .env. If APP_ENV is unset, GoFr overlays configs/.local.env instead. System environment variables take precedence over both files.

For example, with APP_ENV=dev GoFr loads configs/.env and then overlays configs/.dev.env. Both files are loaded if both exist — the overlay does not replace .env wholesale.

For example, to run the application in the dev environment, use the following command:

APP_ENV=dev go run main.go

This approach ensures that the correct configurations are used for each environment, providing flexibility and control over the application's behavior in different contexts.