nodejs-env-loader

nodejs-env-loader is a Node.js utility that simplifies the loading of environment variables from a .env file into your application's process.env. This approach enhances the management of configuration settings, especially secrets, without hardcoding them into your source code.

Features

• Secure Loading: Ensures that environment variables are loaded without overwriting critical system variables.
• Customizable: Allows specifying custom paths, encoding, and override options.
• Safe File Access: Prevents loading files outside the current working directory to maintain security.
• Cross-Platform Support: Handles different newline formats (Windows, Unix) seamlessly.

Installation

From npm

To install the package from npm, run:

npm install nodejs-env-loader

Using Different Package Managers

yarn (Fast, reliable, and secure dependency management)

yarn add nodejs-env-loader

pnpm (Efficient package manager with disk space optimization)

pnpm add nodejs-env-loader

bun (Modern JavaScript runtime with built-in package manager)

bun add nodejs-env-loader

Local Installation

If you prefer to install it locally:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/CodeItAftab/nodejs-env-loader.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd nodejs-env-loader

3. Install the dependencies:

   npm install

4. Link the package globally for local testing:

   npm link

5. Use the package in another local project:

   cd ../your-project
   npm link nodejs-env-loader

Usage

1. Create a .env File: In the root of your project, create a .env file containing your environment variables:

   # .env
   DATABASE_URL=your-database-url
   API_KEY=your-api-key
   PORT=3000
   DEBUG_MODE=true

2. Load Environment Variables: In your application entry point (e.g., index.js), load the environment variables using nodejs-env-loader:

   const { load } = require('nodejs-env-loader');
   
   const result = load();
   
   if (result.error) {
     console.error('Error loading .env file:', result.error);
   } else {
     console.log('Environment variables loaded:', result.parsed);
   }
   
   // Now you can access your environment variables via process.env
   console.log('Database URL:', process.env.DATABASE_URL);

API

load(options)

Loads environment variables from a specified .env file into process.env.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
path	string	.env	Path to the .env file.
override	boolean	false	If true, existing environment variables will be overwritten.
encoding	string	utf-8	File encoding.

Returns

Property	Type	Description
parsed	object	Key-value pairs from the .env file.
error	Error	Error object if the .env file could not be loaded.

Example

const { load } = require('nodejs-env-loader');

const result = load({ path: './config/.env', override: true });

if (result.error) {
  console.error('Error loading .env file:', result.error);
} else {
  console.log('Environment variables loaded:', result.parsed);
}

Important Notes

• Protected Environment Variables: The loader prevents overwriting critical system environment variables such as PATH, HOME, USER, etc., unless explicitly allowed via the override option.
• File Security: To maintain security, the loader restricts loading .env files outside the current working directory.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Automatically normalizes line endings for different operating systems.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Follow these steps to contribute:

1. Fork the Repository: Click the "Fork" button on the repository page.
2. Clone Your Fork:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/nodejs-env-loader.git

3. Create a Branch:

   git checkout -b my-feature-branch

4. Make Changes & Commit:

   git add .
   git commit -m "Add new feature"

5. Push to Your Fork:

   git push origin my-feature-branch

6. Create a Pull Request: Go to the original repository on GitHub and open a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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For more information, visit the GitHub repository.