Easy methods to retailer keys in env recordsdata?

Utilizing the Surroundings in Vapor 4

Similar to many standard server facet frameworks, your Vapor based mostly backend software can load a file referred to as .env. It’s attainable to retailer key-value based mostly (secret) configuration values inside this file. If you run the app, one of many following file shall be loaded, based mostly on the present atmosphere:

• Manufacturing (.env)
• Improvement (.env.growth)
• Testing (.env.testing)

If you execute your exams the .env.testing file shall be used. When you begin the app utilizing the serve Vapor command it’s also possible to change the atmosphere utilizing the --env or -e flag. The accessible choices are manufacturing and growth, and the corresponding .env file shall be loaded. It’s attainable to create a customized atmosphere, you possibly can learn extra about this within the official Vapor docs. The .env file normally accommodates one key and worth per line, now the issue begins while you wish to retailer a multiline secret key within the file. So what can we do about this? 🤔

Base64 encoded secret keys

Sure, we will encode the key key utilizing a base64 encoding. No, I do not wish to copy my secrets and techniques into an on-line base64 encoder, as a result of there’s a fairly easy shell command that I can use.

echo "<my-secret-key>" | base64

When you do not like unix instructions, we will at all times put collectively slightly Swift script and use an extension on the String sort to encode keys. Simply save the snippet from beneath right into a base64.swift file, put your key into the important thing part, give the file some executable permission & run it utilizing the chmod o+x && ./base64.swift one-liner command and voilá…

#! /usr/bin/swift

import Basis

extension String {

    func base64Encoded() -> String? {
        return knowledge(utilizing: .utf8)?.base64EncodedString()
    }
}

let key = """
    <my-secret-key-comes-here>
"""

print(key.base64Encoded()!)

You’ll be able to copy & paste the encoded worth of the key key into your individual .env.* file, change the asterix image together with your present atmosphere after all, earlier than you do it. 🙈

//e.g. .env.growth
SECRET_KEY="<base64-encoded-secret-key>"

Now we simply should decode this key in some way, earlier than we will begin utilizing it…

Decoding the key key

You’ll be able to implement a base64 decoder as a String extension with only a few strains of Swift code.

import Basis

extension String {

    func base64Decoded() -> String? {
        guard let knowledge = Information(base64Encoded: self) else { return nil }
        return String(knowledge: knowledge, encoding: .utf8)
    }
}

Now in my tasks I like to increase the Surroundings object and place all my customized variables there as static constants, this fashion I can entry them in a very handy means, plus if one thing goes flawed (normally once I do not re-create the .env file after a git reset or I haven’t got all of the variables current within the dotenv file) the app will crash due to the pressured unwraps, and I am going to know for certain that one thing is flawed with my atmosphere. It is a crash for my very own security. 💥

import Vapor

extension Surroundings {
    static let secretKey = Self.get("SECRET_KEY")!.base64Decoded()!
}


Surroundings.secretKey

I feel this method could be very helpful. In fact it is best to place the .env.* sample into your .gitignore file, in any other case if you happen to place some secrets and techniques into the dotenv file and also you push that into the distant… properly, everybody else will know your keys, passwords, and so on. You don’t need that, proper? ⚠️

Be at liberty to make use of this technique when it’s a must to implement a Check in With Apple workflow, or a Apple Push Notification service (APNs). In these circumstances you will undoubtedly should go one ore extra secret keys to your Vapor based mostly backend software. That is it for now, thanks for studying.