Smart typed environment variables

[phifa]

So instead of doing this: process.env.IS_NICE

we could do constants.IS_NICE.

Advantages:

• typed 🚀 parsing the above with zod could make this a boolean
• auto-complete, just type constants. and see what's available
• Error on app start, if neccessary constants are not set. No more digging for why the app failed, when only an env var was missing.

This could be a simple file, or two for like constants.client.ts and constants.server.ts.

[stephen776]

It’s nice to be able to still set ENV via process.env. it would be great to validate at runtime via zod to get the static typing and nice imports

[stephen776]

@kentcdodds What do we think of an api along these lines? I am working on some helpers for my current project with this idea in mind

[kentcdodds]

I don't think we need an "API" really. I'd prefer to keep it as simple as z.object({/* stuff */}).parse(process.env)

[stephen776]

Ya - that's fair. I was toying with the idea of creating an npm package that would handle this sort of dev friendly way to define and consume ENV vars in remix - including safe handling of sending variables down to the client so that's why my head went to designing some sort of nice interface.

[sergiodxa]

I don't think we need an "API" really. I'd prefer to keep it as simple as z.object({/* stuff */}).parse(process.env)

This is what I do too (I even have an article about that), there's no need for a package because at the end you will still need the Zod schema or shape from the developer anyway.

What I have been doing lately is to do that parse in the HTTP server, then use getLoadContext to pass env variables to the loaders/actions. So instead of doing process.env.FOO or env.FOO (where env is the result of Zod parse) I do context.env.FOO.

This way you also ensure the only way to access env variables is inside loaders and actions, and if you need them somewhere else you need to pass return them from the loader/action.

[kentcdodds]

Hmmmm... I don't think I want to have to pass env vars to functions. Thanks for the suggestion though!