diff --git a/.env b/.env
index a1b211a..dd79ca2 100644
--- a/.env
+++ b/.env
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+REACT_APP_API=DEV
 REACT_APP_DEV_API_URL=http://localhost:4000/graphql
 REACT_APP_PROD_API_URL=https://geornal-backend.herokuapp.com/graphql
 DANGEROUSLY_DISABLE_HOST_CHECK=true
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 21ed95e..2ea347c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -21,7 +21,19 @@ This will run the application in development mode, which will ensure the updates
 
 ### Running the API
 
-In many cases you will need to also run the Travel Map API alongside this project.
+When running the application locally you must connect to a valid API for handling requests. You can either utilize a local backend server or the production website. To toggle between these configurations, update the the following line in your `.env` file:
+
+**To Use Locally Hosted API**
+
+```
+REACT_APP_API=DEV
+```
+
+**To Use Production Website's API**
+
+```
+REACT_APP_API=PROD
+```
 
 Please see [travel-map-api](https://github.com/projectunic0rn/travel-map-api) for more information on how to setup and install the API.
 
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index af41a6d..7e659e4 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -43,13 +43,14 @@ if (localStorage.getItem("token")) {
 }
 
 let clientUrl = "";
-if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production") {
+if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" || process.env.REACT_APP_API === "PROD") {
   clientUrl = process.env.REACT_APP_PROD_API_URL;
 } else if (process.env.REACT_APP_TEST_API_URL != null) {
   clientUrl = process.env.REACT_APP_TEST_API_URL;
-} else {
+} else if (process.env.REACT_APP_API === "DEV") {
   clientUrl = process.env.REACT_APP_DEV_API_URL;
 }
+
 const client = new ApolloClient({
   uri: clientUrl,
   request: async operation => {