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Your app, your accounts: code, databases and environment setup

How source code, Preview, Development, Production and API keys fit together when you build a mobile app.

By Cicrew · Updated

A real project behind the screens

Cicrew builds an Expo and React Native project. Design and implementation use the same repository, so the approved screens are a starting point for the working app. The Code tool lets you inspect the project.

Open Tools, Code and choose Download code to get the latest saved source as a ZIP. Your database contents and credentials configured in the platform are managed separately, so configure your own services when running the project elsewhere.

Three environments, three separate databases

Preview is for quickly trying the app while it is being built. It uses a platform-managed, app-isolated test backend. Use test information here.

Development is for your installable development builds. Production is for your released app. These connect to your own separate database projects instead of falling back to the preview database. Production data and development testing should not share the same project.

Publish, App setup is where you configure these environments. Ordinary variables can inherit a shared value, while an environment-specific value overrides it. Database configuration stays separate.

Public settings and secret keys have different jobs

A public mobile setting is compiled into the app and can be read by someone who has the binary. A provider’s secret API key belongs on a server. Mark variables by how they are used instead of treating every environment variable as a secret.

Apply changes to update deployed server configuration. Build a new binary when public configuration changes. Updating a value in the workspace does not rewrite an app that someone already installed.

Keep control of the release accounts

Your developer accounts own the store submission. Your Development and Production databases belong to your provider accounts and connect directly to those providers, outside the preview gateway.

The finished app may still depend on services you intentionally chose, such as authentication, AI APIs, hosting, payments or analytics. Review those integrations, their costs and any platform-specific telemetry before arranging an independent handover.

Keep planning your app