Customizing Build Automation with NPM Config Set Environment Variable

When it comes to building Node.js applications on Azure App Service, having control over the build process is crucial for a successful deployment. One way to achieve this is by setting environment variables using npm config set environment variable. In this article, we will explore how to use this feature to customize build automation and streamline your development workflow.

npm Config Set Environment Variable: A Quick Overview

npm config set environment variable allows you to specify environment variables that can be used during the build process. These variables can be used to run custom commands before and after building your application. There are two main variables that you can use for this purpose: PRE_BUILD_COMMAND and POST_BUILD_COMMAND.

PRE_BUILD_COMMAND

The PRE_BUILD_COMMAND variable is used to specify a command or series of commands that should be executed before the build process begins. This can be useful for tasks such as running tests, generating code, or performing other pre-build operations. To set the PRE_BUILD_COMMAND variable, you can use the following command:

az webapp config appsettings set -n -g -s POST_BUILD_COMMAND='echo foo, scripts/prebuild.sh'

In this example, the script 'scripts/prebuild.sh' will be run before the build process begins.

POST_BUILD_COMMAND

The POST_BUILD COMMAND variable is used to specify a command or series of commands that should be executed after the build process has completed. This can be useful for tasks such as running tests, generating documentation, or performing other post-build operations. To set the POST_BUILD COMMAND variable, you can use the following command:

az webapp config appsettings set -n -g -s PRE_BUILD_COMMAND='echo foo, scripts/postbuild.sh'

In this example, the script 'scripts/postbuild.sh' will be run after the build process has completed.

Additional Environment Variables

In addition to PRE_BUILD_COMMAND and POST_BUILD_COMMAND, there are several other environment variables that you can use to customize build automation. These include:

* preinstall: This variable is used to specify a command or series of commands that should be executed before installing dependencies.

* postinstall: This variable is used to specify a command or series of commands that should be executed after installing dependencies.

* prebuild: This variable is used to specify a script or series of scripts that should be run before the build process begins.

* postbuild: This variable is used to specify a script or series of scripts that should be run after the build process has completed.

Oryx Configuration

For more information on how App Service runs and builds Node.js apps in Linux, see the Oryx documentation. Oryx is an open-source tool that provides a range of features for building and deploying Node.js applications on Azure.

In this article, we have seen how to use npm config set environment variable to customize build automation with PRE_BUILD_COMMAND and POST_BUILD_COMMAND. We have also explored additional environment variables that can be used to streamline your development workflow. By using these features, you can gain greater control over the build process and ensure that your Node.js applications are built and deployed quickly and efficiently.

Npm config set environment variable