section13.3.md

Section 13.3: Loading environment properties from a "property file"

1st way

npm install dotenv --save

Create a directory env to store your properties files:

• mkdir env

Create a file with .env extension, Like this config.env

• config.env

NODE_ENV=your-env
PORT=your-port
DATABASE=your-db-Str
CLOUD_NAME=your-cloud-name
API_KEY=your-api-key
API_SECRET=your-api-secret

Access env data

• app.js

let dotEnv = require('dotenv');
dotEnv.config({ path: './config.env' });

console.log(process.env.yourVariableName);

// Example
console.log(process.env.PORT);

2nd way

npm install properties-reader --save

Create a directory env to store your properties files:

• mkdir env

Create environments.js:

process.argv.forEach(function (val, index, array) {
  let arg = val.split("=");
  if (arg.length > 0) {
    if (arg[0] === 'env') {
      let env = require('./env/' + arg[1] + '.properties');
      module.exports = env;
    }
  }
});

Sample development.properties properties file:

# Dev properties
[main]
# Application port to run the node server
app.port=8080
[database]
# Database connection to mysql
mysql.host=localhost
mysql.port=2500

Sample usage of the loaded properties:

let enviorment = require('./environments');
let PropertiesReader = require('properties-reader');
let properties = new PropertiesReader(enviorment);
let someVal = properties.get('main.app.port');

Starting the express server

npm start env=development

// or

npm start env=production