Environment Variables
Relevant source files
The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:
This project, bootstrapped with Create React App (CRA), has the capability to use environment variables for configuration. However, the current implementation hardcodes sensitive configuration details, specifically for Firebase, directly into the source code. The only environment variable actively used is the CRA-provided %PUBLIC_URL% for referencing assets.
The application's connection to the Firebase backend is managed through a static configuration object. This approach lacks the flexibility and security of using environment variables, which would allow for different configurations between development and production environments without modifying the source code.
Sources: src/firebase.js, public/index.html, package.json
Firebase Configuration
The core of the application's external service integration lies in its connection to Firebase. This configuration is not managed by environment variables but is instead hardcoded within the src/firebase.js file.
Sources: src/firebase.js:3-11
Hardcoded Configuration Object
A constant named firebaseConfig holds all the necessary credentials to connect to the Firebase project. This object is then used to initialize the Firebase app instance.
// src/firebase.js:3-11
const firebaseConfig = {
apiKey: "AIzaSyAoEkweCEECJa2dE9zL5euJuwaUU-zJ3lY",
authDomain: "react-multi-step-form-3706c.firebaseapp.com",
projectId: "react-multi-step-form-3706c",
storageBucket: "react-multi-step-form-3706c.appspot.com",
messagingSenderId: "909707174433",
appId: "1:909707174433:web:91d6a8bd6b31b91a61b960"
};
Sources: src/firebase.js:3-11
The following table details the properties within the firebaseConfig object.
| Key | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
apiKey | AIzaSyAoEkweCEECJa2dE9zL5euJuwaUU-zJ3lY | API key for the Firebase project. |
authDomain | react-multi-step-form-3706c.firebaseapp.com | Firebase project's auth domain. |
projectId | react-multi-step-form-3706c | The unique project identifier. |
storageBucket | react-multi-step-form-3706c.appspot.com | Firebase Storage bucket. |
messagingSenderId | 909707174433 | Sender ID for messaging. |
appId | 1:909707174433:web:91d6a8bd6b31b91a61b960 | The ID for the Firebase web app. |
Sources: src/firebase.js:4-10
Configuration Usage Flow
The hardcoded configuration is consumed during the form submission process. The MultiStepForm component calls an async handleSubmit function which in turn uses the addDoc method exported from firebase.js. This addDoc method relies on the db instance, which was initialized using the hardcoded firebaseConfig.
This diagram shows how the hardcoded configuration is loaded and used.
Create React App (CRA) Variables
As a standard CRA project, it supports environment variables out-of-the-box, typically prefixed with REACT_APP_ and stored in .env files. While this mechanism is available, it is not used for application-level configuration like the Firebase keys.
Sources: package.json:16-19, README.md:3-5
%PUBLIC_URL%
The project utilizes the special built-in environment variable %PUBLIC_URL%. This variable is replaced during the build process with the URL of the public folder. It ensures that assets within the public directory are correctly referenced, regardless of the application's deployment path.
Its usage can be seen in public/index.html to link the favicon and the web app manifest.
<!-- public/index.html:5 -->
<link rel="icon" href="%PUBLIC_URL%/favicon.ico" />
<!-- public/index.html:12 -->
<link rel="manifest" href="%PUBLIC_URL%/manifest.json" />
Sources: public/index.html:5,12
The diagram below illustrates how the CRA build process injects this variable.
Sources: public/index.html, package.json:18
Form Submission Sequence
The following diagram shows the sequence of events when a user submits the form, highlighting where the Firebase configuration is consumed.
This sequence demonstrates that the handleSubmit action in MultiStepForm.jsx is the trigger that ultimately uses the hardcoded configuration from firebase.js to communicate with the Firestore service.
Sources: src/components/MultiStepForm.jsx:142-162, src/components/formsteps/ReviewSubmit.jsx:54-58, src/firebase.js:13-15
Conclusion
The project's environment management is minimal. Critical API keys and configuration for Firebase are hardcoded directly in src/firebase.js, posing a security risk and making it difficult to manage different environments (e.g., development, staging, production). The application relies on the standard Create React App build process, which is evident from package.json and the use of the %PUBLIC_URL% variable in public/index.html. To improve security and maintainability, the hardcoded firebaseConfig values should be migrated to .env files, using variables prefixed with REACT_APP_ as is standard for CRA projects.
Sources: src/firebase.js:3-11, public/index.html:5,12, package.json:16-19