Configure the Container

Foundation adapts its default container backend behind Foundation-owned contracts. Create one container during application bootstrap and use that instance for every provider.

Create the shared container

Use ContainerFactory in the application’s composition root. It creates the default backend and registers the Container, Resolver, and Configuration contracts. Feature classes should receive the services they need rather than creating another container.

bootstrap.php

<?php declare(strict_types=1);

use StellarWP\Foundation\Container\Configuration\ArrayConfiguration;
use StellarWP\Foundation\Container\ContainerFactory;

$config    = new ArrayConfiguration( require __DIR__ . '/config.php' );
$container = ( new ContainerFactory() )->create( $config );

The Container contract allows providers to register services through the shared container. The narrower Resolver contract is used by services that only need to resolve class-based collaborators, such as Pipeline. Configuration makes the same read-only configuration snapshot available to every configured Foundation provider without exposing the underlying configuration library.

Map environment values in config.php

Keep environment access at the configuration boundary rather than reading $_ENV throughout application services. Map values in the root config.php:

config.php

<?php declare(strict_types=1);

return [
	'foundation' => [
		'prefix' => $_ENV['FOUNDATION_PREFIX'] ?? 'your-plugin',
	],
	'log' => [
		'channel' => $_ENV['APP_LOG_CHANNEL'] ?? 'null',
		'level'   => $_ENV['APP_LOG_LEVEL'] ?? 'debug',
	],
];

Providers that extend ConfiguredProvider read nested values through their inherited $this->config property:

$channel = $this->config->get( 'log.channel' );

The default value is used only when a key is absent. A configured null value remains null. Treat configuration as a stable snapshot for the lifetime of the application container.

Pass resolved configuration into service constructors through container bindings. Application services should not read the environment or the configuration object directly.

Load an optional .env file

The container package includes vlucas/phpdotenv. A non-WordPress application can load a local environment file before requiring config.php:

use Dotenv\Dotenv;

if ( is_file( __DIR__ . '/.env' ) ) {
	Dotenv::createImmutable( __DIR__ )->load();
}

WordPress applications can map deployment values into $_ENV before the plugin constructs its container. Keep local environment files out of production archives.

Continue

Bootstrap a WordPress plugin with one application object that owns the container, configuration, and provider order.