Trouble with environment variables in Python JIRA API implementation

Other Questions Jira
1

I’m stuck trying to use environment variables with the Python JIRA API. Here’s what’s happening:

# This works fine when hardcoded
jira = JIRA(server="https://example.com", 
            token_auth="secret123")

# But this doesn't work
server = os.environ.get('JIRA_SERVER')
token = os.environ.get('JIRA_TOKEN')
jira = JIRA(server=server, token_auth=token)

When I use environment variables, I get authorization errors or timeouts. I’ve double-checked, and the variables are loaded correctly. I even tried using only one environment variable at a time, but no luck.

Has anyone run into this before? What am I missing? I want to make this work so I can share the script with others without exposing sensitive info. Any help would be great!

2

I’ve been down this road before, and it can be frustrating. One thing that helped me was using the ‘os.getenv()’ function instead of ‘os.environ.get()’. It seems to handle edge cases better.

Also, make sure your environment variables are actually set. Sometimes they don’t persist across terminal sessions or get overwritten. Try echoing them before running your script to confirm.

If you’re still having issues, you might want to look into using a .env file with the python-dotenv package. It’s been a lifesaver for me in similar situations, especially when working across different environments.

Lastly, don’t forget to check your JIRA instance’s API settings. Sometimes there are additional authentication steps or IP restrictions that can cause these kinds of errors. Good luck!

3

yo laura, had similar issues. try printin the server and token values before passin em to JIRA. sometimes env vars get wonky. also, double-check ur .env file syntax. might be sneaky spaces or quotes messin things up. if all else fails, try usin a config file instead. good luck!

4

I encountered a similar issue when implementing the JIRA API with environment variables. One often overlooked aspect is the potential for trailing whitespace in environment variable values. Try using the strip() method when retrieving the values:

server = os.environ.get(‘JIRA_SERVER’).strip()
token = os.environ.get(‘JIRA_TOKEN’).strip()

Additionally, ensure your environment variables are correctly set in your system or deployment environment. Some platforms require restarting the application or service after updating environment variables. If issues persist, consider using a library like python-dotenv to manage environment variables more reliably across different environments.