InsideEdgeInsideEdge
Download App
Stop 09 · Connecting Frontend & BackendTopics · 4/8

Environment Variables & API URLs

Part of the Full Stack Developer Roadmap

In short

Configuring your frontend to call the right backend URL across local, staging and production — without hardcoding `localhost` into something that ships to real users.

How to learn this

  1. 1Use an environment variable for your API base URL instead of hardcoding it.
  2. 2Set different values for local development vs your deployed production API.
  3. 3Learn which env vars are safe to expose to the frontend bundle and which must stay backend-only.

More topics at this stop

CORSAPI Integration with Fetch/AxiosReact Query / TanStack QueryLoading & Error StatesOptimistic UIFull-Stack Data FlowFile Uploads End-to-End

Stuck on this topic? Ask an Insider

Get 1:1 guidance from people who've walked this exact path — on the InsideEdge app.

Download
InsideEdge