Configuration

AppStoreCat is configured through environment variables and a central configuration file. All configuration lives in the server service.

Environment Variables

The backend .env file (server/.env) controls core settings. Copy from the example file:

cp server/.env.example server/.env

Application

Variable	Default	Description
`APP_ENV`	`local`	Environment: `local`, `production`
`APP_DEBUG`	`true`	Enable debug mode
`APP_URL`	`http://localhost:7460`	Backend API URL
`FRONTEND_URL`	`http://localhost:7461`	Frontend URL (for CORS)

Database

Variable	Default	Description
`DB_HOST`	`appstorecat-mysql`	MySQL host (Docker service name)
`DB_PORT`	`3306`	MySQL port
`DB_DATABASE`	`appstorecat`	Database name
`DB_USERNAME`	`sail`	Database user
`DB_PASSWORD`	`password`	Database password

Scraper URLs

Variable	Default	Description
`APPSTORE_API_URL`	`http://host.docker.internal:7462`	App Store scraper URL
`GPLAY_API_URL`	`http://host.docker.internal:7463`	Google Play scraper URL

Queue and Cache

Variable	Default	Description
`QUEUE_CONNECTION`	`redis`	Queue driver: `redis` (development), `database` (production)
`CACHE_STORE`	`redis`	Cache driver
`REDIS_HOST`	`appstorecat-redis`	Redis host

AppStoreCat Configuration

The main configuration file is server/config/appstorecat.php. Settings are grouped into 4 sections:

Connector Settings

Control how the backend talks to the scraper microservices:

Variable	Default	Description
`APPSTORE_TIMEOUT`	`30`	App Store scraper request timeout (seconds)
`GPLAY_TIMEOUT`	`30`	Google Play scraper request timeout (seconds)
`APPSTORE_THROTTLE_SYNC_JOBS`	`5`	Max iOS sync jobs per minute
`GPLAY_THROTTLE_SYNC_JOBS`	`5`	Max Android sync jobs per minute
`APPSTORE_THROTTLE_CHART_JOBS`	`24`	Max iOS chart jobs per minute
`GPLAY_THROTTLE_CHART_JOBS`	`37`	Max Android chart jobs per minute

Sync Settings

Control automatic app sync per platform:

Variable	Default	Description
`SYNC_IOS_TRACKED_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable scheduled iOS sync
`SYNC_IOS_TRACKED_REFRESH_HOURS`	`24`	iOS staleness window (hours)
`SYNC_IOS_TRACKED_BATCH_SIZE`	`5`	Max iOS apps dispatched per 20-minute tick
`SYNC_ANDROID_TRACKED_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable scheduled Android sync
`SYNC_ANDROID_TRACKED_REFRESH_HOURS`	`24`	Android staleness window (hours)
`SYNC_ANDROID_TRACKED_BATCH_SIZE`	`5`	Max Android apps dispatched per 20-minute tick

The sync pipeline runs in phases and is tracked via the sync_statuses table: identity → listings → metrics → finalize → reconciling. Failed items are picked up and retried by ReconcileFailedItemsJob.

Chart Settings

Control daily trending chart sync:

Variable	Default	Description
`CHART_IOS_DAILY_SYNC_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable daily iOS chart sync
`CHART_ANDROID_DAILY_SYNC_ENABLED`	`true`	Enable daily Android chart sync

Discovery Settings

Control which actions can discover (create) new apps in the database. Each source can be toggled per platform via DISCOVER_{IOS,ANDROID}_ON_{SOURCE} environment variables:

Source	Default	Description
`on_search`	`true`	Apps found via store search
`on_trending`	`true`	Apps found in trending charts
`on_publisher_apps`	`true`	Apps found via the publisher’s app list
`on_register`	`true`	Apps registered directly by users
`on_import`	`true`	Apps imported via publisher import
`on_similar`	`true`	Apps found via similar apps
`on_category`	`true`	Apps found in category listings
`on_direct_visit`	`false`	Apps visited directly by external ID — when off, unknown app URLs return 404
`on_unknown`	`true`	Apps from unknown sources

Docker Compose Ports

The root docker-compose.yml uses these port variables (set in the root .env file):

Variable	Default	Service
`BACKEND_PORT`	`7460`	Laravel API
`FRONTEND_PORT`	`7461`	React web
`APPSTORE_API_PORT`	`7462`	App Store scraper
`GPLAY_API_PORT`	`7463`	Google Play scraper
`FORWARD_DB_PORT`	`7464`	MySQL (host-side, container is `:3306`)
`FORWARD_REDIS_PORT`	`7465`	Redis (host-side, container is `:6379`)