Understanding Dynamic Public Environment Variables in SvelteKit

Summary of SvelteKit Dynamic Public Environment Variables

Main Point

This tutorial on SvelteKit's dynamic public environment variables explains how to access and utilize environment variables in a SvelteKit application. It emphasizes leveraging these variables to enable dynamic behavior based on various environments such as development and production.

Key Concepts

  • Environment Variables: Special variables set outside the application, often used for configuring settings without hardcoding them into the codebase.
  • Public Variables: In SvelteKit, public environment variables are accessible in both server and client code, prefixed with VITE_.
  • Dynamic Behavior: These environment variables empower developers to create applications that adapt based on the environment they are running in.

How to Use Environment Variables

  1. Setting Environment Variables:
    • Create a .env file in the root of your SvelteKit project.
    • Define your variables using the VITE_ prefix:
  2. Accessing Variables in Code:
    • Use import.meta.env to access the variables in your components or routes.
  3. Using Variables for Conditional Logic:
    • Utilize the variables to toggle features or alter behavior based on the environment.

Example:

if (import.meta.env.VITE_FEATURE_FLAG === 'true') {
    // Execute feature-specific code
}

Example:

const apiUrl = import.meta.env.VITE_API_URL;
console.log(apiUrl); // Outputs: https://api.example.com
VITE_API_URL=https://api.example.com
VITE_FEATURE_FLAG=true

Conclusion

By employing dynamic public environment variables in SvelteKit, developers can build flexible applications that adjust to various deployment scenarios. This method enhances configurability and aids in managing settings securely and efficiently.