Is the express .env exercise correct?

Description

Extract from the exercise:

The .env file is a hidden file that is used to pass environment variables to your application. …

Link to the exercise.

We write a .env file holding a VAR=something. We can console log this variable, by running “Run” in a repl.it file.

But this is not the standard Node.js behavior. npm start or node server.js won’t load any variable unless we include the dotenv package. So If any user tries to emulate that project locally, it won’t work the same.

I may be missing something simple, but just find it strange, and asking in repl.it didn’t help much so far.

Add a Link to the page with the problem:

Because it’s a hidden file the only way is to build it yourself. A way is to create a new repl.it and a .env file, then console logging the value.

Directory Tree Image

[naomi-lgbt]

@RandellDawson I think that’s probably the best approach. 🙂

[TAbhay]

Just do

1. npm install dotenv
2. Add require(‘dotenv’).config() in myApp.js file
3. Add .env file with PORT = 3000
4. Now npm start It will work