Extend easyConfig API

[justsml]

Extend easyConfig API

• Add many examples, using easyConfig & autoConfig.
• Consider renaming this repo generically to @elite-libs/config, and seamlessly combine the 2 use case/interfaces.
  • Look into combining the usage patterns of easyConfig & autoConfig (where each option is either defined using an object, or Array<string | Function> w/ optional last-position validation function.)
• Alternatively, maintain 2 awkwardly differing modules for a bit longer - closer to v2.
  • autoConfig rename to cliConfig, configMap, appConfig, (should this be default export anyway?)
  • easyConfig, keep name? Might change to: appConfig?
• Make sure the JSDoc content shows up where it's needed. (Not primarily on types, internals.)
• Current easyConfig doesn't support the optional formatter function in tail position.

Current EasyConfig

• Minimalist way to centralize your app configuration, handling both Argument & Environment key-value mapping.

Limits: Everything is a string. No built-in Zod validation like auto-config. No nesting, no arrays, no booleans, no numbers.

export const config = easyConfig({
  "url": ['--url', '-u', 'APP_URL'],
  "port": ['--port', '-p', 'PORT'],
  "debug": ['--debug', '-D'],
});

Well, it lives up to the name at least!

Proposed API Changes

Validator function interface:

type ValidatorFunction<TReturnType> = (
  value: string,     // The value to validate: '08080'
  sourceKey: string, // `--port`
  fieldName: string, // `port`
  allMatchedKeys: Record<string, string> // { 'PORT': '8080', '--port': '08080' };
) => TReturnType;

Example Validators

To support custom logic while getting types for free we'll support a trailing function pattern.

After the list of input args & env keys, include a ValidatorFunction as the last array element.

export const config = easyConfig({
  "debug": ['--debug', '-D', Boolean],
  "url": ['--url', '-u', 'APP_URL', url => new URL(url)],
});
config.debug; // boolean
config.url; // URL instance

Tip 1: Auto-type keys using JS' built-in methods Boolean(), Number(), String(), etc

A quick way to add type hints: use the language's primitive constructors.

export const config = easyConfig({
  "port": ['--port', '-p', Number],
  "debug": ['--debug', '-D', Boolean],
});

config.port; // number
config.debug; // boolean

ProTip 2: Convert inputs into advanced types

This snippet takes a url string and returns a new URL() instance.

If an error is encountered, the app will prevent invalid runtime states by exiting & re-throwing the original error message!

// Example used anonymous arrow function, but you can use a named function too.
const parseUrl = (url: string) => new URL(url);

ProTip 3: Parse JSON input strings

Note: Advanced example. Feel free to skip & revisit later.

The following example is a fair bit more complex.
The goal is showing a 'real-world' JSON parsing pattern evolves with this library.

Since arguments and environment variables can support long strings, it can sometimes be a convenient strategy to use stringified JSON. For example adding/removing features is easier if you know that theres only 1 place it's configured. A related issue: most enterprise apps eventually have to manage dozens to 100+'s of environment & configuration variables. The sprawl can quickly be a drag to manage and difficult to trace when things go wrong.

Let's visualize combining 2 keys into PRODUCT_PAGE={json}.

Given

• PRODUCT_PAGE_SCROLL=infinite
• PRODUCT_PAGE_LIMIT=10

We want to combine them into a single JSON key:

• PRODUCT_PAGE={"scroll": "infinite", "limit": 10}

Future product additions can be added to the JSON with relative ease:

Let's say, your legal team has requested a new disclaimer be added to the product page.

We might have named this DISCLAIMER_PRODUCT, which could easily be overlooked when sorting and looking for PRODUCT_* in a sea of keys.

• PRODUCT_PAGE={"scroll": "infinite", "limit": 10, "disclaimer": "..."}
• SUGGESTIONS_PAGE={"scroll": "none", "limit": 10, "disclaimer": "(items other shoppers purchased)"}

When adding legal text to a website, it may be more important to see the disclaimers co-located in one key.

• DISCLAIMERS={"product": "...", "home": "all rights reversed", "partner_content": "rights owned by their respective owners"}

Design to make features more serviceable & manageable. ✨

Let's look at more examples of JSON embedded keys.

export DATADOG_CONFIGS='{"apiKey":"my-key","sampling":"0.25","tags":["env:prod"]}'
export ACTIVE_FEATURES='["checkout_v4","cta_ab_test_v55","rewards_v3"]'

The following example shows how to tie this all together:

export const config = easyConfig({
  "datadog": ['DATADOG_CONFIGS', safeJsonParser],
  "features": ['--active-features', 'ACTIVE_FEATURES', safeJsonParser],
});

Example Strict & Safe JSON Parsers

// Throws on invalid JSON.
const strictJsonParser = (json: string) => JSON.parse(json);

// Invalid JSON will get logged, and the app will return false.
const safeJsonParser = (json: string, sourceKey: string) => {
  try {
    if (!json || json.length < 2) return false;
    return JSON.parse(json);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Invalid JSON supplied', error, {json, sourceKey});
    // NOTE: Change your default fall-back json value: instead of `false`, maybe `null` or an empty object or array might make more sense.
    return false; 
  }
};

4. ProTip: Configurable Port number validator

// Using the curried `portRangeChecker()` helper (see below)
const isHttpIsh = portRangeChecker({min: 80, max: 443});
// The func `isHttpIsh(port)` accepts a number, and if outside the range provided it'll fail, and if inside the.
isHttpIsh(79) //-> false
isHttpIsh(80) //-> true
isHttpIsh(444) //-> false
isHttpIsh(79) //-> false

const portRangeChecker = ({min = 1_000, max = 60_000}: PortRange) =>
  (port: number | string) => {
    port = parseInt(`${port}`);
    if (port > 65_535) throw Error(`Port number ${port} can't exceed 65535`);
    if (port < 1) throw Error(`Port number ${port} must be at least 1`);
    if (port >= min && port <= max) return port;
    throw new Error(`Unexpected Port ${port} value detected.`);
  }

type PortRange = {min: number, max: number};

5. ProTip: Zod-based type validation

// Use a Zod schema to validate, type check any config values.
const parseAcctId = input => zod.any(input).refine(Number).safeParse(input)?.data;

export const config = easyConfig({
  "accountId": ['--accountId', 'ACCOUNT_ID', parseAcctId],
});