Easily require environment variables or else
npm install require-env-varOur projects are litered with environment variables. If we're doing things correctly, we're using a .env file and not checking it into source control. We're probably also using something along the lines of .env.example to track what variables _should_ be set in our .env.
This may be fine when working solo or on a small team, but with larger projects it's easy to miss changes to .env.example. Furthermore, undefined environment variables don't always present themselves in the most obvious of ways.
require-env-var is a small library that helps with that. It allows you to specify which environment variables are _required_, and if they don't exist you get an error message telling you what key is missing. Additionally, it provides support for specifying multiple keys (first one wins) as well as a fallback in case no keys are found.
Install using yarn:
``
yarn add require-env-var
Install using npm:
`
npm install --save require-env-var
require-env-var exposes a single function:
`js
const requireEnvVar = require('require-env-var');
const port = requireEnvVar('PORT');
`
You can also use ES6-style imports if you'd like:
`js
import requireEnvVar from 'require-env-var';
const clientId = requireEnvVar('CLIENT_ID');
`
You can provide an array of keys and require-env-var will return the first one that is set:
`js`
const port = requireEnvVar(['SERVER_PORT', 'PORT']);
If none of the keys provided exist, require-env-var will throw an error:
`
Required environment variable [SERVER_PORT or PORT] is not set!
However, if you specify a fallback, that will be returned instead:
`js
const port = requireEnvVar(['SERVER_PORT', 'PORT'], '8080');
console.log(port) // Suprise, it's 8080!``
MIT