Configuration

Strata runs on the same machine in two distinct modes. This page documents the differences.

Dev vs Production at a Glance

	Development	Production
Command	npm run docker:dev	npm run docker:prod
DB file	backend/.data/strata-dev.db	backend/.data/strata.db
NODE_ENV	development	production
Swagger UI	✅ http://localhost:3000/swagger	✅ http://localhost:3000/swagger
Seed data	Demo assets seeded on first start	Real personal data — never auto-seeded
Version badge	Shows DEV badge	Shows clean version number
Docker restart policy	none	always
Reset DB	npm run docker:reset	⚠️ Manual only — backup first!
Desktop app data dir	backend/.data/ (for tauri:dev)	~/Library/Application Support/Strata/ (for .app builds)

How to Access Strata

In development mode (npm run docker:dev), you can access the app in two ways:

Access method	Where	When to use
Web browser	http://localhost:4321	Day-to-day dev — fast reload, browser devtools, React hot update
Tauri Desktop App	./scripts/tauri-dev.sh	Test native macOS window/menu bar while sharing dev DB

Web browser mode uses backend on http://localhost:3000/api/v1 (Docker). tauri:dev runs sidecar backend on http://localhost:3456/api/v1, but both modes use the same backend/.data/strata-dev.db file.

In production mode (npm run docker:prod):

• Use ./scripts/tauri-build.sh to build the Tauri .app bundle — the full native experience with your real data in ~/Library/Application Support/Strata/
• Or use docker:prod if you want a headless server scenario (e.g., running on a NAS or cloud VM)

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Dev default	Prod default
NODE_ENV	Runtime mode	development	production
DATABASE_URL	Prisma connection string	file:../backend/.data/strata-dev.db	file:../backend/.data/strata.db
DB_FILE	DB filename inside .data/	strata-dev.db	strata.db
PUBLIC_API_URL	Frontend build-time API base URL	http://localhost:3000/api/v1	http://localhost:3000/api/v1
ENABLE_SWAGGER	Set to false to disable Swagger UI	(on by default)	(on by default)

PUBLIC_API_URL is a build-time variable — it is baked into the Astro frontend at build time. Rebuilding the frontend image is required if the API URL changes.

Two Database Files, Never Mixed

The most important rule in Strata operations: dev and prod data never mix.

File	Purpose
backend/.data/strata-dev.db	Development & demo data. Safe to wipe at any time.
backend/.data/strata.db	Your real personal financial data. Never auto-wiped.

Both files are git-ignored. The .data/ directory must exist before running Docker (it is created automatically if missing).

See ADR-003: Database Strategy for the full rationale.

Seed Data

When you run docker:reset or start with an empty dev DB, the seed script creates:

• 6 demo assets (checking account, savings account, apartment, home loan, two vehicles)
• Categories and tags reflecting a realistic European personal balance sheet
• 4 historical portfolio snapshots (January–April 2025) so the net worth chart has data immediately

Seed data is idempotent — running it twice does not duplicate records.

Resetting the Dev Environment

npm run docker:reset

This deletes strata-dev.db, rebuilds Docker images with --no-cache, applies migrations, and re-seeds. Use this after migrations or when the dev DB state is unknown.

Your production data in strata.db is never touched by docker:reset.