Will the environment variables from the project can be fiddle on the browser by user?
Will the environment variables from the project can be fiddle on the browser by user?
5 Replies
Hi @Adnan Erlansyah. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:
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Based on the knowledge sources provided, I can answer your question about environment variables in Nuxt projects:
No, environment variables from a Nuxt project cannot be directly accessed or modified by users in the browser. Nuxt provides a secure way to handle environment variables through its runtime config system. Here's how it works:
1. Server-side variables: Environment variables that are not explicitly marked as public are only available on the server-side and are not exposed to the client at all. As stated in the Runtime Config documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/guide/going-further/runtime-config#reading):
"On server-side, the entire runtime config is available, but it is read-only to avoid context sharing."
2. Public variables: Only variables explicitly defined in the
public namespace of the runtime config are accessible on the client-side. However, these are bundled with the application and cannot be modified by users at runtime. From the Nuxt Configuration documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/getting-started/configuration#nuxt-configuration):
"Anything under public and app will be exposed to the frontend as well."
3. Security: The Nuxt documentation emphasizes the importance of not exposing sensitive information. In the Runtime Config documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/guide/going-further/runtime-config#reading), it states:
"Security note: Be careful not to expose runtime config keys to the client-side by either rendering them or passing them to useState."
4. Build-time vs. Runtime: Environment variables are typically set at build time or when starting the server. They are not dynamically changeable by users in the browser. The Environment Variables documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/guide/directory-structure/env#production-preview) mentions:
"Note that for a purely static site, it is not possible to set runtime configuration config after your project is prerendered."
In summary, Nuxt's runtime config system is designed to keep sensitive information secure on the server-side while only exposing explicitly defined public variables to the client. Users cannot fiddle with these environment variables in the browser as they are either not accessible or are bundled with the application at build time.
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@kapa.ai how about if I set the variable on the client-side or composable that has installed environment variable on it. Will the variable can be console.log in the browser by user or just can be see it if I run it from code?
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books:
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Based on the knowledge sources provided, I can address your question about client-side variables and environment variables in Nuxt:
If you set a variable on the client-side or in a composable that uses an environment variable, the behavior depends on how you've configured your runtime config. Here's what you need to know:
1. Public runtime config: Variables defined in the
public namespace of the runtime config are accessible on the client-side. As mentioned in the Nuxt Configuration documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/getting-started/configuration#nuxt-configuration):
"Keys within runtimeConfig.public are also available client-side."
2. Client-side access: If you use these public variables in your client-side code or composables, they can indeed be viewed in the browser console. Users can access these values by using the browser's developer tools.
3. Security consideration: It's crucial to remember that any information exposed to the client-side can be viewed by users. The Runtime Config documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/guide/going-further/runtime-config#reading) warns:
"Security note: Be careful not to expose runtime config keys to the client-side by either rendering them or passing them to useState."
4. Server-side variables: Environment variables that are not explicitly added to the public namespace of the runtime config remain server-side only and cannot be accessed or logged in the browser.
5. Usage in composables: If you use useRuntimeConfig() in a composable, only the public variables will be available on the client-side. As stated in the useRuntimeConfig documentation (https://nuxt.com/docs/api/composables/use-runtime-config#usage):
"On client-side, only keys in runtimeConfig.public are available, and the object is both writable and reactive."
In summary, if you set a variable on the client-side or in a composable using a public runtime config variable, users can indeed see and log these values in the browser console. However, server-side-only variables cannot be accessed this way. Always be cautious about what information you expose to the client-side, and avoid putting sensitive data in the public runtime config.
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