Last Updated: 4/7/2026

Configuration & Environment

Agricultural Microworlds uses environment variables and configuration files to control development server behavior, Docker services, and ASP.NET Core settings. This reference guide documents all configuration options available in the project.

Vite Development Server Configuration

The Vite configuration file (vite.config.js) controls the client-side development server and build process. Configuration is primarily driven by environment variables.

Environment Variables

Variable	Type	Default	Description
`ASPNETCORE_HTTPS_PORT`	number	`7050`	HTTPS port for the ASP.NET Core backend server
`ASPNETCORE_URLS`	string	`https://localhost:7050`	Semicolon-separated list of URLs the backend listens on; first URL is used if `ASPNETCORE_HTTPS_PORT` is not set
`DEV_SERVER_PORT`	number	`5000`	Port for the Vite development server
`OPEN_SVG`	boolean	`false`	When set to `"true"`, opens `/indexsvg.html` instead of `/index.html` on server start

Vite Server Settings

The Vite server is configured with the following fixed settings:

Setting	Value	Purpose
`host`	`0.0.0.0`	Allows external connections (required for Docker/Codespaces)
`base`	`/development-project-agopsimulation`	Base public path for assets
`proxy`	`^/weatherforecast` → backend	Proxies API requests to the ASP.NET Core backend
`https`	Auto-generated certificate	Uses .NET dev certificates for HTTPS support

Certificate Management

Vite automatically generates HTTPS certificates using dotnet dev-certs https. Certificates are stored in:

Windows: %APPDATA%/ASP.NET/https/
Linux/macOS: ~/.aspnet/https/

Certificate files:

agricultural-microworlds.client.pem (certificate)
agricultural-microworlds.client.key (private key)

Docker & Devcontainer Configuration

The development environment runs in Docker containers orchestrated by Docker Compose. Configuration is split between docker-compose.yml and devcontainer.json.

Docker Compose Services

Service	Image	Purpose
`app`	`mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/universal:2-focal`	Main development container with Node.js, .NET, and development tools
`db`	`postgres:17-alpine`	PostgreSQL database server (not yet integrated into the application)

PostgreSQL Environment Variables

The database service is configured with the following environment variables:

Variable	Default Value	Description
`POSTGRES_PASSWORD`	`postgres`	Password for the PostgreSQL superuser
`POSTGRES_USER`	`postgres`	PostgreSQL superuser username
`POSTGRES_DB`	`postgres`	Default database name

Note: The PostgreSQL database is provisioned but not yet integrated into the application. See the Planned Database Schema guide for future schema details.

Devcontainer Port Forwarding

The devcontainer forwards the following ports from the container to the host:

Port	Protocol	Service
`5000`	HTTPS	Vite development server
`5001`	HTTPS	ASP.NET Core backend (alternative port)
`5432`	HTTPS	PostgreSQL database

Devcontainer Features

The devcontainer includes the following features:

Prettier: Latest version installed via npm-features
VS Code Extensions:
- ms-dotnettools.csharp: C# language support
- dbaeumer.vscode-eslint: ESLint integration
- esbenp.prettier-vscode: Prettier code formatter

Post-Create Command

After the container is created, the following command runs automatically:


cd agricultural-microworlds.client && npm install

This ensures all Node.js dependencies are installed before development begins.

ASP.NET Core Configuration

The ASP.NET Core backend uses appsettings.json and appsettings.Development.json for configuration.

appsettings.json (Production)

Setting	Value	Description
`Logging.LogLevel.Default`	`Information`	Default log level for all categories
`Logging.LogLevel.Microsoft.AspNetCore`	`Warning`	Log level for ASP.NET Core framework logs
`AllowedHosts`	`*`	Allowed host headers (wildcard allows all)

appsettings.Development.json (Development)

Setting	Value	Description
`Logging.LogLevel.Default`	`Information`	Default log level for development
`Logging.LogLevel.Microsoft.AspNetCore`	`Warning`	Framework log level for development

Note: The backend currently only contains a stub WeatherForecast controller. Authentication, database connections, and lesson management are not yet implemented.

Configuration File Locations

File	Path	Purpose
Vite config	`agricultural-microworlds.client/vite.config.js`	Client build and dev server settings
Docker Compose	`.devcontainer/docker-compose.yml`	Container orchestration
Devcontainer	`.devcontainer/devcontainer.json`	VS Code devcontainer settings
ASP.NET settings	`Agricultural-Microworlds.Server/appsettings.json`	Production backend config
ASP.NET dev settings	`Agricultural-Microworlds.Server/appsettings.Development.json`	Development backend config
Package config	`agricultural-microworlds.client/package.json`	npm scripts and dependencies
Babel config	`agricultural-microworlds.client/babel.config.js`	Jest/test transpilation

No .env File

Agricultural Microworlds does not use a .env file for configuration. All environment variables are set through:

Docker Compose: Environment variables in docker-compose.yml
Devcontainer: Port forwarding and features in devcontainer.json
Shell Environment: Variables set in the terminal before running npm run dev

To override default values during development, set environment variables before running commands:


# Example: Change dev server port and open SVG page
export DEV_SERVER_PORT=3000
export OPEN_SVG=true
npm run dev

What’s Next

Installation & Setup: Learn how to set up the development environment from scratch
Testing Guide: Understand how to run tests and check code coverage
Planned Database Schema: Review the database design for future features