How to use Skogsrå with Elixir releases for dynamic configuration?

Skogsrå includes YAML and JSON config providers that can be added to mix release config_providers. For example, add {Skogsra.Provider.Yaml, ["/path/to/file.yml"]} to your release config to load configuration from external files during startup, as described in the Elixir release providers section.

Skogsrå vs Elixir's built-in Config module – which should I use?

Skogsrå is better for complex setups needing automatic type casting, environment overrides, and OS variable integration, while Elixir's Config is simpler for basic, static configuration. Choose Skogsrå if you require runtime flexibility and type safety across environments.

How to implement custom types in Skogsrå for parsing complex values?

Implement the Skogsra.Type behaviour by defining a cast/1 function that handles validation and conversion. For instance, create a module to parse comma-separated strings into lists, then reference it in app_env with the type option, as shown in the custom types example.

Does Skogsrå work well with Phoenix applications?

Yes, Skogsrå can integrate with Phoenix by defining config modules and using preload/1 to override endpoint settings like port or secret_key_base at runtime. The README provides an example in the 'Overriding Elixir Configuration' section for Phoenix endpoints.

How to handle caching to avoid performance issues in Skogsrå?

Disable caching for specific variables with cached: false if they need frequent updates, or avoid runtime operations like put_my_port/1 and reload_my_port/0. The README cautions that writes are slow due to :persistent_term, so plan configuration changes carefully.

Can Skogsrå generate .env files for different deployment environments?

Yes, use the template/1 or template/2 functions to generate OS environment variable files for Unix, Windows, or Elixir releases. Specify the type option (:unix, :windows, or default) to format the output, as demonstrated in the automatic template generation section.

skogsra — Elixir Config & Env Var Manager

What is skogsra?

Skogsrå is an Elixir library that simplifies application configuration by providing a unified interface for OS environment variables and Elixir configuration files. It solves the problem of managing configuration across different environments with features like automatic type casting, runtime reloading, and environment-specific overrides, making configuration management more predictable and developer-friendly.

Target Audience

Elixir developers building applications that require robust configuration management across multiple environments (e.g., dev, test, prod), especially those using Elixir releases or needing to integrate with OS environment variables.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Skogsrå over alternatives because it offers automatic type casting, caching with Erlang's :persistent_term for fast reads, and flexible environment overrides, reducing runtime errors and simplifying configuration code. Its unique selling point includes automatic documentation and template generation for OS environment variables.

Library to manage OS environment variables and application configuration options with ease

Use Cases

Best For

Managing Elixir application configuration with OS environment variables and config files in a unified way.
Automatically casting configuration values to types like integers, atoms, booleans, or custom types.
Handling environment-specific configuration overrides (e.g., different defaults for dev, test, prod).
Generating OS environment variable templates for Unix, Windows, or Elixir releases.
Extending configuration sources with custom bindings (e.g., JSON or YAML files).
Using YAML or JSON configuration providers with Elixir releases for dynamic config loading.

Not Ideal For

Elixir projects relying solely on compile-time configuration without runtime environment variable integration
Teams using external secret management systems like Kubernetes ConfigMaps where configuration is handled outside the application
Applications requiring frequent runtime configuration updates due to Skogsrå's slow write performance from caching
Small, single-environment projects where the overhead of defining Skogsrå modules outweighs the benefits

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Type Casting

Infers or explicitly casts configuration values to Elixir types like integers, atoms, or custom types, reducing runtime errors, as detailed in the automatic and explicit type casting sections with examples like casting strings to atoms.

Fast Cached Reads

Uses Erlang's :persistent_term for caching, enabling quick access to configuration values after initial load, which improves performance for frequent reads as mentioned in the caching section.

Environment-Specific Overrides

Allows overriding defaults and requirements per environment (e.g., dev, test, prod) using the env_overrides option, providing flexible configuration management as shown in the environment handling examples.

Automatic Documentation Generation

Generates documentation and specs for configuration variables based on @envdoc attributes, enhancing code clarity and maintainability, with options to disable it via config.

Cons

Slow Write Performance

Caching with :persistent_term makes writes very slow, discouraging runtime configuration changes or reloading, as explicitly warned in the README's caching section.

Additional Dependency Overhead

Full features like YAML or JSON config providers require adding external libraries (yamerl or jason), increasing project complexity and dependency management.

Verbose Configuration Setup

Defining configuration modules with options like binding_order or custom types can be more complex and verbose than using Elixir's native config for simple use cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is skogsra?

Target Audience

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Managing Elixir application configuration with OS environment variables and config files in a unified way.
Automatically casting configuration values to types like integers, atoms, booleans, or custom types.
Handling environment-specific configuration overrides (e.g., different defaults for dev, test, prod).
Generating OS environment variable templates for Unix, Windows, or Elixir releases.
Extending configuration sources with custom bindings (e.g., JSON or YAML files).
Using YAML or JSON configuration providers with Elixir releases for dynamic config loading.

Not Ideal For

Elixir projects relying solely on compile-time configuration without runtime environment variable integration
Teams using external secret management systems like Kubernetes ConfigMaps where configuration is handled outside the application
Applications requiring frequent runtime configuration updates due to Skogsrå's slow write performance from caching
Small, single-environment projects where the overhead of defining Skogsrå modules outweighs the benefits

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Type Casting

Fast Cached Reads

Uses Erlang's :persistent_term for caching, enabling quick access to configuration values after initial load, which improves performance for frequent reads as mentioned in the caching section.

Environment-Specific Overrides

Automatic Documentation Generation

Generates documentation and specs for configuration variables based on @envdoc attributes, enhancing code clarity and maintainability, with options to disable it via config.

Cons

Slow Write Performance

Caching with :persistent_term makes writes very slow, discouraging runtime configuration changes or reloading, as explicitly warned in the README's caching section.

Additional Dependency Overhead

Full features like YAML or JSON config providers require adding external libraries (yamerl or jason), increasing project complexity and dependency management.

Verbose Configuration Setup

Defining configuration modules with options like binding_order or custom types can be more complex and verbose than using Elixir's native config for simple use cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

skogsra

What is skogsra?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

skogsra

What is skogsra?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?