Study Notes:

Keep it secret, keep it safe:

1. Introduction:
   • Security beyond password encryption involves safeguarding sensitive information like Express session secrets, MongoDB URLs, and API keys.
   • Never commit such details to Git repositories or publish them.
2. Dotenv Usage:
   • Package: dotenv
   • Create a file named .env in the project directory.
   • Add variables using the syntax [key]=[value], e.g., SECRET_KEY="something hard to guess".
   • Important: Add .env to .gitignore to prevent Git commits.
   • Simple and widely used for basic secrets management.
3. Nconf Usage:
   • Package: nconf
   • Offers a more robust solution, usable alone or alongside dotenv.
   • Supports defining configuration files in multiple ways for flexibility.
   • Example: Create a config.js file for secrets, allowing overrides via command-line arguments.
   • Useful for larger projects with complex configuration needs.
4. Secrets and PaaS:
   • When deploying a project, importing environment variables to the chosen PaaS is crucial.
   • Example: For Fly.io, run fly secrets import < .env from the command line.
   • Research how to handle environment variables in your PaaS to avoid deployment failures.

Additional Resources:

• Dotenv Documentation
• Nconf Documentation

Key Takeaway:

• Prioritize securing sensitive information.
• Utilize dotenv and nconf for effective management of secrets.
• Ensure proper handling of secrets when deploying on PaaS.