conflakes

Manager the configuration, may be depending on the environment, with the ability to import another config files defined inside themselves.

Possibility to load configuration from:

• Json files
• Yaml files
• Ini files
• JS files(modules that export object)
• Functions
• Objects

Instalation:

1. Add dependency

   npm install conflakes --save

2. The next step is create config structure files, example:

   application/
   │
   ├─ config/
   │  └─ config_dev.json
   │  └─ config_prod.json
   └─ app.js
   

3. Add to your app.js this piece of code

   typescript2

   const APP_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'dev';
    
   import * as Conflakes from 'conflakes';
   const config = new Conflakes().load(__dirname + `/config/config_${APP_ENV}.json`).getConfig();
    

   javascript es6

   const APP_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'dev';
    
   const Conflakes = require('conflakes');
   const config = new Conflakes().load(__dirname + `/config/config_${APP_ENV}.json`).getConfig();

   If you want to use specyfic format, simply give the file with appropriate extension

   • .json
   • .yml
   • .ini
   • .js

How to use config:

1. "get" method returns a parameter by name.

   {
         "dbs" : {
             "master" : {
                 "host": "localhost"
             }
         },
         "blacklist" : [
             "192.168.0.110",
             "192.168.0.120"
         ]
   }

   To get host to database:

   config.get('dbs.master.host');

   To get first element of the "blacklist" array:

   config.get('blacklist[0]');

   If the parameter does not exist in configuration it will be throw exception, To avoid this you can use default parameter.

   config.get('dbs.master.host', null);

   Now if the parameter does not exist it will return null.

2. "all" method

   Method "all" return all configuration object

   config.all();

How to use resource loaders, method "load":

You can use resources like yml, ini, json, js(mocdule) files and objects or functions. You must keep in mind that each call "load" loads the object which it is merging to the previous configuration if there are duplicate keys in different resources that will be overwritten by the last resource.

The "Object" and "Function" resource loaders are very helpful you can add to you config for example parameters from "command line arguments" or "environments variables"

const Conflakes = require('conflakes');
const conflakes = new Conflakes();
 
// You can load serveral files, of course the files inside with key "imports":[ ] can import other files
conflakes.load('file.yml'); // Yaml file resource
conflakes.load('file.ini'); // Ini File resource
conflakes.load('file.json'); // Json File resource
 
// Object resource, the object will be merge to configuration object
conflakes.load({
    env: process.env.NODE_ENV,
    any_parameter_one : 10,
    any_parameter_two : 20
});
 
//Function resource, the returned object will be merge to configuration object
conflakes.load(function(actualConfigObject) {
    // in "actualConfigObject" we have parameters that we loaded previously, so You can perform simple conditions and return suitable for you object
    
    return {
        "argv": process.argv,
        "any_parameter_three" : 30
    }
});
 
var config = conflakes.getConfig(); //when you call getConfig the returned object is frozen

Important information

For increase security, avoid problems and enforce good practices, when you call getConfig config object is frozen, this mean that you can't modify configuration when your application is running. Any attempts will trow exception. You can not freeze the configuration by calling conflakes.getConfig(false).

Module allow for flexible organization configuration files, examples:

1. Configuration schema files with sufix

   const config = new Conflakes().load(__dirname + `/config/config_${APP_ENV}.json`).getConfig();

   application/
   │
   ├─ config/
   │  ├─ config.json
   │  ├─ config_dev.json
   │  ├─ config_prod.json
   │  ├─ routing.json
   │  └─ services.json
   ├─ ...
   

   The file config/config.json inherits config_dev.json and config_prod.json file.

   config/config.json

   {
      "imports": [
          {"resource": "routing.json"},
          {"resource": "services.json"}
      ]
   }

   config/config_dev.json

   {
      "imports": [
          {"resource": "config.json"},
          {"resource": "routing_dev.json"}
      ],
      "db": {
          "host" : "localhost",
          "login" : "root"
      }
   }

   config/config_prod.json

   {
      "imports": [
          {"resource": "config.json"}
      ],
      "db": {
          "host" : "dbb",
          "login" : "prodUser"
      }
   }

2. Folders for each environment

   const config = new Conflakes().load(__dirname + `/config/${APP_ENV}/config.json`).getConfig();      

   application/
   │
   ├─ config
   │  ├─ default/
   │  │  ├─ config.json
   │  │  ├─ routing.json
   │  │  └─ security.json
   │  ├─ dev/
   │  │  ├─ config.json
   │  │  ├─ routing.json
   │  │  └─ security.json
   │  └─ prod/
   │     ├─ config.json
   │     ├─ routing.json
   │     └─ security.json
   ├─ ...
   

   The file config/default/config.json inherits dev/config.json and prod/config.json file.

   config/default/config.json

   {
      "imports": [
          {"resource": "routing.json"},
          {"resource": "security.json"}
      ]
   }

   config/dev/config.json

   {
      "imports": [
          {"resource": "../default/config.json"},
          {"resource": "routing.json"},
          {"resource": "security.json"}
      ]
   }

3. Semantic configuration

   const config = new Conflakes().load(__dirname + `/config/environments/${env}.json`).getConfig();  

   application/
   ├─ config/
   │  ├─ modules/
   │  │  ├─ module1.json
   │  │  ├─ module2.json
   │  │  ├─ ...
   │  │  └─ moduleN.json   
   │  ├─ environments/
   │  │  ├─ default.json
   │  │  ├─ dev.json
   │  │  └─ prod.json
   │  ├─ routing/
   │  │  ├─ default.json
   │  │  ├─ dev.json
   │  │  └─ prod.json
   │  └─ services/
   │     ├─ frontend.json
   │     ├─ backend.json
   │     ├─ ...
   │     └─ security.json
   ├─ ...
   

   The file environments/default.json inherits environments/dev.json and environments/prod.json file.

   config/environments/default.json

   {
      "imports": [
           {"resource": "../modules/module1.json"},
           {"resource": "../modules/module2.json"},
           {"resource": "../modules/moduleN.json"},
           {"resource": "../services/frontend.json"},
           {"resource": "../services/backend.json"},
           {"resource": "../services/security.json"},            
           {"resource": "../routing/default.json"}
      ]
   }

   config/environments/dev.json

   {
      "imports": [
          {"resource": "default.json"},
          {"resource": "../routing/dev.json"}
      ]
   }

Absolute Path

Configuration files can by import also from absolute path

{
   "imports": [
      {"resource": "/home/prod/app-configs/appName.json"}
   ]
}

Additional functionalities

1. Yaml
   • Conflakes provide custom yaml type(https://yaml.org/type/) !!js/var that allows you to read variables from a global node.js object, example:

   env:    !!js/var process.env.NODE_ENV
   

Build .dist. files

The genesis of the problem: While you work, you changes parameters in file config_dev.json for your individual preferences, example logins, passwords to databases, cache systems. When someone in your team adds to config_dev.json new parameters required by applicaton and when you pull this changes, you will have conficts and must manualy add this paramaters to your config_dev.json. To avoid this problem you must add config_dev.dist.json file and generate config_dev.json. So when someone add new parameters to config_dev.dist.json you will not have conflicts and you can merge new paramaters with simple command "npm run build-dist" and you will be automatically updated file config_dev.json. Now conflakes support json and yaml files for this feature.

1. Example configuration schema with config_dev.dist.json file

   application/
   ├─ config/
   │  ├─ config.json
   │  ├─ config_dev.dist.json
   │  └─ config_prod.json
   ├─ ...
   

2. To you package.json file add script

   "scripts": {
       "build-dist": "build-dist --recursive ./config"
   }
   

   Avalible options:

   • paths to files and folders
   • --recursive or -r recursive search for dist files

   build-dist ./config ./directory/file.dist.json

   Files with the name *.dist.* in ./config and file ./directory/file.dist.json will be build

   build-dist -r ./config ./another_dir/nest_dir

   Files with the name *.dist.* will be search and bulid recursive in ./config and ./another_dir/nest_dir

3. Run command

   npm run build-dist

   Script for us merge new parameters, but leave your configuration if you have previously configured.