Why are my custom process.env not working within dotenv?

node.js environment-variables local dotenv

49,453

Solution 1

I've figured where I was going wrong after re-reading the documentation regarding path, example:

require('dotenv').config({ path: '/full/custom/path/to/your/env/vars' })

After changing:

case 'development':
  require('dotenv').config({
    path: './dev.env'
  })
  break

to:

case 'development':
  require('dotenv').config({
    path: `${__dirname}/dev.env`
  })
  break

it works. So my error was a scope issue. No need to set const keys so just using require('./config/env') I can access any custom processes, example:

process.env.CUSTOM

or in this case it would be:

process.env.PORT

from app.js

Solution 2

Hi at first use switch(env.trim()), then change the path value path: './config/dev.env'. Goodluck.

49,453

Author by

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

Updated on July 27, 2020

Comments

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ almost 4 years
Learning that it is a bad practice to include API secret keys I've done some research and trying to learn how to create custom process.env.

After reading:
I'm trying to set an env file locally based on process.env.NODE_ENV. The application would be hosted on Heroku and in my .gitignore I have dev.env but when I try to use dotenv locally I'm getting an undefined. I have set the environment locally with export NODE_ENV=development in my terminal. When I run the command npm start or nodemon both return undefined but in env.js I get Testing for: development, example:
```
nodemon

[nodemon] 1.19.1
[nodemon] to restart at any time, enter `rs`
[nodemon] watching: *.*
[nodemon] starting `node app.js`
Testing for: development
undefined
```
Here is what I have:

app.js:
```
const keys = require('./config/env')
return console.log(process.env.PORT)
```
config/env.js:
```
const env = process.env.NODE_ENV
console.log(`Testing for: ${env}`)
try {
  switch(env) {
    case 'undefined':
      Error('Environment undefined, if local in terminal: export NODE_ENV=development')
      break
    case 'development':
      require('dotenv').config({
        path: './dev.env'
      })
      break
    case 'production':
      require('dotenv').config({
        path: './prod.env'
      })
      break
    default:
      Error('Unrecognized Environment')
  }  
} catch (err) {
  Error('Error trying to run file')
}
```
config/dev.env:
```
## Port number to run Application
PORT=4321
```
but in app.js when I test with return console.log(process.env.PORT) or return console.log(keys.PORT) they both log undefined, why? I seem to be doing something wrong in env.js when using dotenv.

To clarify I'm not even pushing to Heroku yet and prod.env will be validation. If there is a better approach please educate me.
DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ almost 5 years

I know how to set in the CLI the issue is using the custom process in development. Think you’re misunderstanding the question. I can log the NODE_ENV so the error is from env.js to dotenv.
Aakash almost 5 years

as I have looked, config() takes path to directory where file named .env is located. So that's one problem. What we do is replace .env with the file .env.<build_type> before build.
DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ almost 5 years

And that is why in env.js I'm setting the path in config with path: './dev.env'. I may be doing this wrong but per the documentation that is the correct way to declare a file if not using .env.
maxbeatty over 4 years

For future reference, dotenv will return an error if it can't find or read the file you specify with the path option. We surface errors to help with debugging like this.