Desktop Client Configuration

After deploying your self-hosted Flow-Like backend, you need to configure the desktop application to connect to it instead of the default cloud service.

Environment Variable

Set the FLOW_LIKE_API_URL environment variable before launching the desktop app:

# Linux / macOS
export FLOW_LIKE_API_URL=https://your-api.example.com
./flow-like

# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:FLOW_LIKE_API_URL = "https://your-api.example.com"
.\flow-like.exe

# Windows (Command Prompt)
set FLOW_LIKE_API_URL=https://your-api.example.com
flow-like.exe

The desktop uses the value exactly as provided. Do not define FLOW_LIKE_API_URL as an empty string; an explicitly empty value overrides the build-time and hosted defaults and is a configuration error.

Configuration Options

Variable	Description	Example
`FLOW_LIKE_API_URL`	Full URL to your self-hosted API	`https://api.flow-like.internal`

The URL should point to your API service:

Docker Compose: http://localhost:8080 or your exposed endpoint
Kubernetes: The external URL of your api service (e.g., via Ingress)

Build-time Configuration

For custom builds, you can also set the default backend at compile time:

Variable	Description
`FLOW_LIKE_CONFIG_DOMAIN`	Domain without protocol (e.g., `api.example.com`)
`FLOW_LIKE_CONFIG_SECURE`	Use HTTPS (`true` or `false`, defaults to `true`)

These are set via option_env!() during the Rust build process.

Verification

After configuring, verify the connection:

Launch the desktop app
Check the settings panel for the connected backend URL
Try logging in or creating a local app

Troubleshooting

Connection refused

Ensure your API is reachable from the desktop machine:

# Docker Compose public gateway
curl -v https://your-compose.example.com/health

# Kubernetes API / Ingress
curl -v https://your-kubernetes-api.example.com/health/live

SSL/TLS errors

If using self-signed certificates, you may need to add them to your system’s trust store or use HTTP during development.

Mixed content

If your API uses HTTP but the app expects HTTPS, ensure your FLOW_LIKE_API_URL includes the correct protocol.