Using environment specific configuration files in Node.js

Question

Using environment specific configuration files in Node.js

Unlike Rails, there doesn't seem to be an accepted way of loading environment specific config files in Node.js.

Currently I'm using the following:

config/development.js and config/production.js:

module.exports = {
    'db': 'mongodb://127.0.0.1/example_dev',
    'port': 3002
};

Followed by the following at the top of my app.js file:

var config = require('./config/' + process.env.NODE_ENV + '.js');

This pattern works pretty well, however it forces me to pass along this config file to any modules that need it. This gets kind of clunky, for instance:

var routes = require('./routes')(config);

.. and in routes/index.js:

modules.export = function(config) {
    this.index = function...
    this.show = function...
};

Etc, etc. The module pattern just seems to be pretty clunky when dealing with something that should be global, like configuration settings. I could require the configuration file at the top of every file that needs it as well, but that doesn't seem ideal either.

Does anyone have a best practice for including a configuration file and making it globally available?

node.js

Answer 1

You could just attach it to the global process object:

app.js:

var config = require('./config/' + process.env.NODE_ENV + '.js');
process.config = config;

aywhere else in your app

console.log(process.config);

Yes, it's a bit dangerous in that it can get overwritten anywhere, but it's still a pretty simple approach.