How to Securely Retrieve Gitlab Environment Variables for gatsby-*.js Files

Discover how to effectively use Gitlab environment variables in your Gatsby files without relying on `.env` files.
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How to Securely Retrieve Gitlab Environment Variables for gatsby-*.js Files

When working with sensitive data like API tokens, managing your environment variables securely is crucial. This is especially true if you're using Gatsby and Gitlab together, as both need to communicate seamlessly about these variables to ensure the integrity and security of your application. Many developers have run into issues trying to access Gitlab environment variables in their Gatsby projects, often relying on .env files or similar methods. If you wish to avoid .env files, you're in the right place!

In this guide, we will cover how to retrieve and utilize Gitlab environment variables specifically within your gatsby-*.js files.

Understanding Environment Variables in Gatsby

Environment variables are secret values that your application can use at runtime. Typically, in a Gatsby project, you can access these variables using process.env.<YOUR_VAR>. However, this requires a little setup when you decide not to use .env files and opt for Gitlab’s environment settings.

Why Use Gitlab Environment Variables?

Using Gitlab environment variables helps in:

Security: Sensitive information, such as API tokens, is kept out of the codebase.

Flexibility: You can change the values easily in Gitlab without altering the codebase.

Setting Up Your Environment Variables in Gitlab

Before you can access these variables in your Gatsby project, you need to ensure they are correctly set up in Gitlab. Here’s how:

Navigate to Your Repository: Go to your Gitlab project.

Settings: Select Settings and then CI / CD.

Variables: Scroll down to the Variables section.

Add Your Variables: Enter your key as GATSBY_TOKEN (remember the GATSBY_ prefix) and your secret value. This prefix is necessary for Gatsby to expose these variables at build time.

Accessing Variables at Build Time

Since you don’t want to use .env files, the next step would be to ensure that these variables are accessible when you run Gatsby commands. You will achieve this through your gitlab-ci.yml file.

Example Setup in gitlab-ci.yml

You can retrieve and use your environment variables in your Gitlab CI pipeline as follows:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation:

Defining the Variable: Here, TOKEN is defined to retrieve the value of GATSBY_TOKEN.

Using the Variable: When you run the build step, this variable can now be accessed publicly in your Gatsby application using process.env.TOKEN.

Running Locally

If you're working locally and want to access Gitlab environment variables without pushing to Gitlab, you can set your environment variables inline during command execution. It can be done as shown:

Example Commands

Modify your package.json scripts like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Key Points:

This command sets GATSBY_TOKEN just for the execution of the Gatsby commands, allowing you to treat it as an environment variable.

This simple inline method is very effective for local development.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while using Gitlab environment variables in your Gatsby application without .env files may seem tricky, it can be quite straightforward with the right setup in your gitlab-ci.yml file and your project’s scripts.

By following the steps outlined:

Set up your variables properly in Gitlab.

Use the correct prefixes.

Adapt your build commands accordingly.

You can now handle secret API tokens securely while leveraging the power of Gatsby’s React-based technologies. If you have any questions or further issues, feel free to drop a comment below!

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