How to set NODE_ENV to production/development in OS X

For use in express.js environments. Any suggestions?

Solution 1:

Before running your app, you can do this in console,

export NODE_ENV=production

Or if you are in windows you could try this:

SET NODE_ENV=production

for PowerShell:

$env:NODE_ENV="production"

or you can run your app like this:

NODE_ENV=production node app.js

You can also set it in your js file:

process.env.NODE_ENV = 'production';

But I don't suggest to do it in your runtime file, since it's not easy to open up VIM in your server and change it to production. You can make a config.json file in your directory and everytime your app runs, it reads from it and sets the configuration.

Solution 2:

in package.json:

{
  ...
  "scripts": {
    "start": "NODE_ENV=production node ./app"
  }
  ...
}

then run in terminal:

npm start

Solution 3:

No one mentioned .env in here yet? Make a .env file in your app root, then require('dotenv').config() and read the values. Easily changed, easily read, cross platform.

https://www.npmjs.com/package/dotenv

Solution 4:

export NODE_ENV=production is bad solution, it disappears after restart.

if you want not to worry about that variable anymore - add it to this file:

/etc/environment

don't use export syntax, just write (in new line if some content is already there):

NODE_ENV=production

it works after restart. You will not have to re-enter export NODE_ENV=production command anymore anywhere and just use node with anything you'd like - forever, pm2...

For heroku:

heroku config:set NODE_ENV="production"

which is actually default.

Solution 5:

To not have to worry whether you are running your scripts on Windows, Mac or Linux install the cross-env package. Then you can use your scripts easily, like so:

"scripts": {
    "start-dev": "cross-env NODE_ENV=development nodemon --exec babel-node -- src/index.js",
    "start-prod": "cross-env NODE_ENV=production nodemon --exec babel-node -- src/index.js"
}

Massive props to the developers of this package.

npm install --save-dev cross-env