I’m working on a React app with Vite and I’m curious about the fate of my environment variables during the build process. When I run npm run build, what exactly happens to these variables? Are they hardcoded into the final build, similar to what Create React App used to do? If that’s the case, I’m worried about security. How can I make sure my sensitive information stays protected? I’ve heard conflicting things about this and I’m not sure what the best practice is for Vite projects. Any insights or tips on handling env variables securely in a Vite-based React app would be really helpful. Thanks!
I’ve been using Vite for a while now, and I can shed some light on env variables. They’re handled quite differently from Create React App. Only variables prefixed with VITE_ are exposed to the client-side during build. This means sensitive data without the VITE_ prefix stays secure.
In my projects, I keep sensitive info in non-VITE_ variables and handle it server-side. It’s crucial to gitignore your .env files too. I learned this the hard way once!
For production, I use a separate .env.production file. It’s worth noting that any VITE_ prefixed variable will be visible in the built code, so be cautious. For truly sensitive stuff, I always use a backend API instead of storing it client-side.
One trick I’ve found useful is creating a .env.example file to document required variables without including actual values. It helps new team members get set up quickly without compromising security.
In Vite, env variables are handled quite differently from Create React App. During the build process, only variables prefixed with VITE_ get exposed to the client-side code. Vite replaces import.meta.env.VITE_X with actual values at build time. This means sensitive data without the VITE_ prefix stays secure and isn’t included in the final bundle.
For best practices, keep sensitive info in non-VITE_ variables and use server-side code to handle it. Also, make sure to gitignore your .env files to prevent accidental commits. You can use .env.production for production-specific variables.
Remember, any VITE_ prefixed variable will be visible in the built code, so be cautious about what you expose. For truly sensitive data, consider using a backend API to handle those operations instead of storing them client-side.
hey, when you build with vite, it only exposes vars starting with VITE_ to the client. other vars stay hidden. during build, vite replaces import.meta.env.VITE_X with actual values. for sensitive stuff, don’t use VITE_ prefix and they won’t show up in the build. keep your .env files outta git too for extra safety!