Environment Switching in Android

This guide explains how to configure and switch between different environments (development, staging, production) in your Bagisto Native Android application.

Why Environment Switching?

• Development: Local testing, debug features enabled
• Staging: Pre-production testing with production-like data
• Production: Live environment for end users

Environment Flow

Configuration Methods

• Development: Local testing, debug features enabled
• Staging: Pre-production testing with production-like data
• Production: Live environment for end users

Configuration Methods

Method 1: Build Variants (Recommended)

Configure different URLs based on build types:

// build.gradle.kts (app level)
android {
    buildTypes {
        debug {
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://dev.bagisto.com\"")
            buildConfigField("Boolean", "DEBUG_ENABLED", "true")
        }
        release {
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://bagisto.com\"")
            buildConfigField("Boolean", "DEBUG_ENABLED", "false")
        }
    }
    
    // Optional: Product flavors for multiple environments
    flavorDimensions += "environment"
    productFlavors {
        create("dev") {
            dimension = "environment"
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://dev.bagisto.com\"")
        }
        create("staging") {
            dimension = "environment"
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://staging.bagisto.com\"")
        }
        create("prod") {
            dimension = "environment"
            buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"https://bagisto.com\"")
        }
    }
}

Method 2: BuildConfig with Properties

Use gradle.properties for easy switching:

# gradle.properties
BASE_URL=https://dev.bagisto.com

// build.gradle.kts
android {
    defaultConfig {
        buildConfigField("String", "BASE_URL", "\"${project.properties.getProperty("BASE_URL", "https://dev.bagisto.com")}\"")
    }
}

Method 3: Runtime Configuration

Switch environments at runtime:

object EnvironmentConfig {
    private const val DEV_URL = "https://dev.bagisto.com"
    private const val STAGING_URL = "https://staging.bagisto.com"
    private const val PROD_URL = "https://bagisto.com"
    
    fun getBaseUrl(environment: Environment): String {
        return when (environment) {
            Environment.DEVELOPMENT -> DEV_URL
            Environment.STAGING -> STAGING_URL
            Environment.PRODUCTION -> PROD_URL
        }
    }
}

enum class Environment {
    DEVELOPMENT, STAGING, PRODUCTION
}

Using with Hotwire

Navigator Configuration

override fun navigatorConfigurations() = listOf(
    NavigatorConfiguration(
        name = "main",
        startLocation = BuildConfig.BASE_URL,
        navigatorHostId = R.id.main_nav_host
    )
)

Application Class

class YourApplication : Application() {
    
    override fun onCreate() {
        super.onCreate()
        
        // Configure based on environment
        Hotwire.config.logging = BuildConfig.DEBUG_ENABLED
    }
}

Environment-Specific Features

Development Features

Enable these in development only:

if (BuildConfig.DEBUG) {
    // Enable Hotwire logging
    Hotwire.config.logging = true
    
    // Show debug overlay
    // Enable Redux DevTools connection
    // Allow cleartext traffic (if needed)
}

Staging Features

Configure for testing:

if (BuildConfig.BUILD_TYPE == "staging") {
    // Enable analytics for staging
    // Use test payment gateway
    // Show staging banner
}

Production Features

Optimize for release:

if (BuildConfig.BUILD_TYPE == "release") {
    // Disable all debug features
    // Enable ProGuard/R8 obfuscation
    // Use production APIs
}

Quick Switch Commands

Using Gradle

# Development
./gradlew assembleDevDebug

# Staging
./gradlew assembleStagingDebug

# Production
./gradlew assembleProdRelease

Build Variants Summary

Variant	URL	Debug	Use Case
devDebug	dev.bagisto.com	✅	Local development
devRelease	dev.bagisto.com	❌	Testing dev build
stagingDebug	staging.bagisto.com	✅	QA testing
stagingRelease	staging.bagisto.com	❌	UAT
prodDebug	bagisto.com	✅	Pre-production
prodRelease	bagisto.com	❌	App Store

Best Practices

✅ Do's

1. Use Build Variants - Clean separation between environments
2. Never Hardcode URLs - Always use BuildConfig or configuration classes
3. Separate API Keys - Different keys for each environment
4. Test All Variants - Ensure each variant builds and runs

❌ Don'ts

1. Don't Switch URLs at Runtime in Production - Security risk
2. Don't Use Production URLs in Debug - Data contamination
3. Don't Forget to Test Release Builds - Performance may differ

Troubleshooting

Build Fails After Switching

• Clean project: ./gradlew clean
• Invalidate caches: File → Invalidate Caches

Wrong URL Loading

• Verify BuildConfig values in Build tab
• Check you're running the correct variant
• Confirm URL in logs: Hotwire.config.logging = true

Next Steps

• Common Mistakes - Avoid configuration errors
• Bridge Components - Configure native features