Configuring process.env object with a Nodejs script

Question

Is it possible to add an environment variable using a Nodejs CLI script to the process.env object and have it available in a javascript environment?

Something like this

node index.js --env --NEW_VARIABLE=1

// index.js

console.log('process.env["NEW_VARIABLE"]:', process.env["NEW_VARIABLE"]);
// logs 1

If it is, can it be done with strings, and how? One more thing, assuming all of this can be done...can it be done with a Jest script as well?

Answer 1

There's another property on the process object called "argv". It's an array of strings. You can push arguments into the argv array by added them as flags at the end of a CLI script.

ex:

node index.js -"new variable"

// index.js

console.log('process.argv:', process.argv);

/*
process.argv: [
      '/Users/user/.nvm/versions/node/v16.14.0/bin/node',
      '/Users/user/.nvm/versions/node/v16.14.0/bin/jest',
      '__tests__/api.test.js',
      '-new variable' // <- 
    ]
*/

This will work with both node and jest scripts

source: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/nodejs-command-line-arguments-node-scripts