conscious-sapphire•10mo ago

Environment Variables

The documentation is not too clear on handling environment variables for each data provider. For example, with the Airtable provider, the examples show the API_KEY and BASE_ID in pages/_app.tsx. I am thinking it would be good for the project generator to help in this regard 🙂

20 Replies

kapa.ai•10mo ago

Hi @jawmes.. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave: ---------------------- In refine, environment variables can be set before running the npm run build command. This is because the build process will use these variables to create an optimized production build of your application. For example, if you want to set the API_URL for your application, you can do this in a .env file in your project root. Here's an example of how you can set the API_URL:

export const API_URL = "<<https://api.strapi-v4.refine.dev>";>

export const API_URL = "<<https://api.strapi-v4.refine.dev>";>

After setting your environment variables, you can then run npm run build to create a production build of your application. The build process will use the environment variables you've set. Remember to restart your development server after setting the environment variables to ensure they take effect. source (https://discord.com/channels/837692625737613362/1127230773209083916) For Next.js applications, environment variables can be defined for different application running environments. To use environment variables in the browser, you can add a NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix to a variable defined in env.local. Next.js will automatically make it accessible for use in the browser and anywhere else in your application. source (https://discord.com/channels/837692625737613362/1128492978026053723) However, the documentation and examples provided do not specifically mention how to handle environment variables for each data provider like Airtable. It would indeed be helpful if the project generator could assist with this. For now, you might need to manually set these environment variables in your project. ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ----------------------

kapa.ai•10mo ago

<@632698368958791681> kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let us know how it did by reacting below

quickest-silver•10mo ago

Hello @jawmes. Thanks for the feedback 🚀. actually handling environment variables is not different from any react application

conscious-sapphire•5mo ago

I'm not too clear on using my API keys in the data provider component still @kapa.ai

kapa.ai•5mo ago

Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books: ---------------------- In refine, you can use your API keys in the data provider component by passing them as arguments to the data provider function. For example, if you're using the Airtable data provider, you would pass your API_TOKEN and BASE_ID as arguments to the dataProvider function like so:

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={dataProvider("<API_TOKEN>", "<BASE_ID>")}  
 >  
 {/* ... */}  
 </Refine>  
);

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={dataProvider("<API_TOKEN>", "<BASE_ID>")}  
 >  
 {/* ... */}  
 </Refine>  
);

In this example, replace <API_TOKEN> and <BASE_ID> with your actual Airtable API token and base ID. This will allow the data provider to authenticate your requests to the Airtable API. source (https://refine.dev/docs/data/packages/airtable) For security reasons, it's recommended to store sensitive information like API keys in environment variables instead of hardcoding them into your application. You can then access these environment variables in your application using process.env. Here's an example:

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={dataProvider(process.env.API_TOKEN, process.env.BASE_ID)}  
 >  
 {/* ... */}  
 </Refine>  
);

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={dataProvider(process.env.API_TOKEN, process.env.BASE_ID)}  
 >  
 {/* ... */}  
 </Refine>  
);

In this example, process.env.API_TOKEN and process.env.BASE_ID would be replaced with the actual values of your Airtable API token and base ID when your application is built. ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ----------------------

kapa.ai•5mo ago

<@632698368958791681> kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let us know how it did by reacting below

conscious-sapphire•5mo ago

How do I protect my keys from being exposed? @kapa.ai

kapa.ai•5mo ago

Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books: ---------------------- To protect your keys from being exposed, you should store them in environment variables. Environment variables are a secure way to store sensitive information like API keys, as they are not included in your application's code and therefore not exposed when your code is shared or published. Here's an example of how you can store your keys in an environment variable: 1. Create a .env file in the root directory of your project. 2. Inside this file, define your keys like so:

SUPABASE_URL=your-supabase-url
SUPABASE_KEY=your-supabase-key

SUPABASE_URL=your-supabase-url
SUPABASE_KEY=your-supabase-key

3. Save and close the .env file. Now, you can access these keys in your application using process.env. For example:

const SUPABASE_URL = process.env.SUPABASE_URL;
const SUPABASE_KEY = process.env.SUPABASE_KEY;

const SUPABASE_URL = process.env.SUPABASE_URL;
const SUPABASE_KEY = process.env.SUPABASE_KEY;

Remember to add your .env file to your .gitignore file to ensure it's not included when your code is pushed to a remote repository. In the context of refine and Supabase, you can use these environment variables when creating your Supabase client:

import { createClient } from "@refinedev/supabase";  

const SUPABASE_URL = process.env.VITE_SUPABASE_URL ?? "";  
const SUPABASE_KEY = process.env.VITE_SUPABASE_KEY ?? "";  

export const supabaseClient = createClient(SUPABASE_URL, SUPABASE_KEY);

import { createClient } from "@refinedev/supabase";  

const SUPABASE_URL = process.env.VITE_SUPABASE_URL ?? "";  
const SUPABASE_KEY = process.env.VITE_SUPABASE_KEY ?? "";  

export const supabaseClient = createClient(SUPABASE_URL, SUPABASE_KEY);

In this example, VITE_SUPABASE_URL and VITE_SUPABASE_KEY are environment variables that store your Supabase URL and key. The createClient function then uses these values to create a Supabase client that can interact with your Supabase backend. source (https://refine.dev/blog/refine-pixels-5#setting-up-supabase-config) Remember, never expose your sensitive keys in public repositories or logs. Always use environment variables or other secure methods to handle sensitive information. ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ----------------------

kapa.ai•5mo ago

<@632698368958791681> kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let us know how it did by reacting below

conscious-sapphire•5mo ago

I'm using an airtable data provider @kapa.ai

kapa.ai•5mo ago

Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books: ---------------------- To protect your API keys when using the Airtable data provider in refine, you should store them in environment variables. Here's how you can do it: 1. Create a .env file in the root directory of your project. 2. Inside this file, define your keys like so:

AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN=your-airtable-api-token
AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your-airtable-base-id

AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN=your-airtable-api-token
AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your-airtable-base-id

3. Save and close the .env file. Now, you can access these keys in your application using process.env. For example:

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={dataProvider(process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)}  
 >  
 {/* ... */}  
 </Refine>  
);

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={dataProvider(process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)}  
 >  
 {/* ... */}  
 </Refine>  
);

In this example, process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN and process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID would be replaced with the actual values of your Airtable API token and base ID when your application is built. source (https://refine.dev/docs/data/packages/airtable) Remember to add your .env file to your .gitignore file to ensure it's not included when your code is pushed to a remote repository. This way, your API keys will be kept secure and won't be exposed in your code or in a public repository. ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ----------------------

kapa.ai•5mo ago

<@632698368958791681> kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let us know how it did by reacting below

conscious-sapphire•5mo ago

Wont that not work because that would need a NEXT_PUBLIC prefix? @kapa.ai Wont that not work because that would need a NEXT_PUBLIC prefix?

kapa.ai•5mo ago

Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books: ---------------------- Yes, you're correct. In a Next.js application, if you want to use environment variables on the client-side, you need to prefix them with NEXT_PUBLIC_. This tells Next.js to embed the variable in the JavaScript bundle, which is served to the browser. So, in your .env file, you should define your keys like this:

NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN=your-airtable-api-token
NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your-airtable-base-id

NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN=your-airtable-api-token
NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your-airtable-base-id

And in your application, you can access these keys like this:

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={{dataProvider(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)}}  
 >  
 {{/* ... */}}  
 </Refine>  
);

import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  
  
const App = () => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={{dataProvider(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)}}  
 >  
 {{/* ... */}}  
 </Refine>  
);

In this example, process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN and process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AIRTABLE_BASE_ID would be replaced with the actual values of your Airtable API token and base ID when your application is built. source (https://refine.dev/blog/next-js-environment-variables#using-environment-variables-in-the-browser) Remember to add your .env file to your .gitignore file to ensure it's not included when your code is pushed to a remote repository. This way, your API keys will be kept secure and won't be exposed in your code or in a public repository. ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ----------------------

kapa.ai•5mo ago

<@632698368958791681> kapa.ai is still learning and improving, please let us know how it did by reacting below

conscious-sapphire•5mo ago

I'm sorry I might really be misunderstanding the best way to do this using Refine without exposing my keys to the browser @kapa.ai

kapa.ai•5mo ago

Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books: ---------------------- You're correct in your concern about exposing sensitive keys to the browser. In general, it's not recommended to expose sensitive keys on the client-side due to security reasons. However, in the context of refine, the data provider is typically initialized on the client-side, which requires the API keys. If you're using Next.js with refine, you can secure your keys by using server-side functions and environment variables. Here's a general approach: 1. Store your keys in a .env file in the root directory of your project:

AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN=your-airtable-api-token
AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your-airtable-base-id

AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN=your-airtable-api-token
AIRTABLE_BASE_ID=your-airtable-base-id

2. In your server-side functions (like getServerSideProps or getInitialProps in Next.js), you can access these keys using process.env and pass them to your data provider:

import { getServerSideProps } from 'next';
import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  

export const getServerSideProps = async (context) => {
  const dataProvider = dataProvider(process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID);
  // Fetch data using dataProvider and pass it as props
}

const App = ({ data }) => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={{dataProvider(process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)}}  
 >  
 {{/* ... Use data here ... */}}  
 </Refine>  
);  

export default App;

import { getServerSideProps } from 'next';
import Refine from "@refinedev/core";  
import dataProvider from "@refinedev/airtable";  

export const getServerSideProps = async (context) => {
  const dataProvider = dataProvider(process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID);
  // Fetch data using dataProvider and pass it as props
}

const App = ({ data }) => (  
 <Refine  
 dataProvider={{dataProvider(process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN, process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID)}}  
 >  
 {{/* ... Use data here ... */}}  
 </Refine>  
);  

export default App;

In this example, process.env.AIRTABLE_API_TOKEN and process.env.AIRTABLE_BASE_ID would be replaced with the actual values of your Airtable API token and base ID when your application is built. The keys are not exposed to the browser as they are used on the server-side. Remember to add your .env file to your .gitignore file to ensure it's not included when your code is pushed to a remote repository. This way, your API keys will be kept secure and won't be exposed in your code or in a public repository. Please note that this is a general approach and might need adjustments based on your specific use case and server-side framework. If you're using a different framework or have a different setup, the approach might vary. ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ----------------------

quickest-silver•5mo ago

Hello @jawmes808 ,   kapa.ai is now available for free at https://refine.dev/docs! To improve our community interaction on the Refine Discord server and keep our focus on Q&A sharing, we invite you to our website to use kapa.ai.

conscious-sapphire•5mo ago

Thank you @Alican Erdurmaz sorry about that😅

quickest-silver•5mo ago

No worries 🙌