!![Node CI

node-env-run

> Command-line tool to read .env files and execute scripts/commands after loading those environment variables

- Uses dotenv under the hood
- Easy to configure
- Flexible command to execute
- Let's you override existing environment variables

Installation

$3

I recommend installing this module as a devDependency for the respective project.

Install via yarn:

``bash
yarn add node-env-run --dev
`

Install via npm:

`bash
npm install node-env-run --save-dev
`

$3

You can alternatively install the module globally if you want to:

`bash
npm install node-env-run --global
`

Usage

Add a new scripts entry to your package.json. Example:

`json
{
"scripts": {
"dev": "nodenv .",
"test": "nodenv -E test/.env test/test.js"
}
}
`

Or use it with npx:

`bash
npx node-env-run .
`

Documentation

This module uses under the hood the dotenv module to parse the .env file. For more information about how to structure your .env file, please refer to its documentation.

$3

Start up the main file in package.json with the enviornment variables from .env:

`bash
nodenv .
`

More examples:

Start Node.js REPL with set environment variables from .env.repl:

`bash
nodenv -E .env.repl
`

Run Python file with overridden environment variables:

`bash
nodenv app.py --exec python --force
`

Run server.js file using nodemon:

`bash
nodenv server.js --exec nodemon
`

Pass --inspect flag for debugging after --:

`bash
nodenv someScript -- --inspect
`

$3

You can pass node-env-run a variety of arguments. These are the currently supported arguments:

| Flag | Type | Description |
| -------------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| --encoding | string | Lets you specify the encoding of the .env file. Defaults to utf8 encoding. |
| --env or
-E | string | Specifies the path to the .env file that should be read |
| --exec or
-e | string | This lets you specify a command other than node to execute the script with. More in the next section. |
| --force or -f | boolean | Flag to temporarily override existing environment variables with the ones in the .env file |
| --help | boolean | Displays the usage/help instructions |
| --verbose | boolean | Flag to enable more verbose logging |
| --version | boolean | Displays the current version of the package |

$3

You can use node-env-run with other executables. This is particularly useful if you try to combine it with things like babel-node or ts-node:

`bash
nodenv index.ts --exec "ts-node"
`

However, you can also use it with completely unrelated executables such as python:

`bash
nodenv app.py --exec python
`

Caveats & Limitations

$3

If you want to pass additional flags/arguments to the script you are executing using node-env-run, you can use the empty -- argument and follow it with any arguments you'd want to pass. For example:

`bash
nodenv index.js --exec "ts-node" -- --log-level debug
`

--log-level debug will be passed to index.js.

If you want to do the same with a REPL like node or python you'll have to specify REPL explictly, due to some parsing behavior of yargs. For example:

`bash
nodenv REPL --exec node -- -e "console.log('hello world!')"
`

$3

Using quotes for escaping special characters should generally work out of the box. However, there is one edge case if you are trying to use double quotes (") inside and want to preserve it. In that case you'll have to double escape it due to some inner workings of Node.js. For example:

`bash
nodenv REPL --exec echo -- 'A common greeting is "Hello World"'


outputs: A common greeting is Hello World

nodenv REPL --exec echo -- 'A common greeting is \"Hello World\"'


outputs: A common greeting is "Hello World"


`

Similarly if you want to avoid variables to be interpolated you'll have to escape the $ separately. For example:

`bash
nodenv REPL --exec echo -- '$PATH'


outputs your actual values stored in $PATH

nodenv REPL --exec echo -- '\$PATH'


outputs: $PATH


``

Contributors

|
_{Dominik Kundel}
💻 |
| :---: |

License

MIT