# Basic Node and Express - Use the .env File

**URL:** <https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816>\
**Category:** Curriculum Help\
**Tags:** javascript\
**Created:** [November 16, 2024, 3:53am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816 "2024-11-16T03:53:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![herky873](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/herky873/32/240212_2.png) [@herky873](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/herky873)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 3:53am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/1 "2024-11-16T03:53:28Z")

</div>

### Tell us what’s happening:

I am not able to make this pass. I have tried multiple and resorted to copying what others have copied of off the internet.

```js
var express = require('express');
require('dotenv').config();
var app = express(); 
process.env.MESSAGE_STYLE == "uppercase";
console.log(process.env.MESSAGE_STYLE);

//let app = express();
//console.log(process.env//.VARIABLE_ONE)

//app.use('/pics', express.static(__dirname + '/images'));
//console.log("Hello World");
/** app.get("/", (req,res)=>{
  res.send("Hello Express");

});*/

// app.get("/",function(req,res){
  //res.sendFile(__dirname + "/views/index.html");
//});

app.use(express.static(__dirname + "/public"));

/**6)use the .env File to configure app*/

app.get("/", function(req, res){
  res.sendFile(__dirname+ '/views/index.html');
app.use(express.static(__dirname + "/public"));
})
//7.use the .env file
app.get("/json", (request, response)=>{
  if(process.env.MESSAGE_STYLE ==uppercase){
     response.json({"message" : "Hello json".toUpperCase()})
  }else{
    response.json({"message": "Hello json"})
  }
});
module.exports = app;

```

###Your project link(s)

solution: [https://3000-freecodecam-boilerplate-0mhpr76j63l.ws-us116.gitpod.io](https://3000-freecodecam-boilerplate-0mhpr76j63l.ws-us116.gitpod.io)

### Your browser information:

User Agent is: `Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/129.0.0.0 Safari/537.36`

### Challenge Information:

Basic Node and Express - Use the .env File

> **[freeCodeCamp.org](https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/back-end-development-and-apis/basic-node-and-express/use-the--env-file)**
>
> Learn to Code — For Free

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ILM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/ilm/32/363239_2.png) [@ILM](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/ILM)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 9:57am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/2 "2024-11-16T09:57:01Z")

</div>

> [@herky873](#):
>
> ```auto
> if(process.env.MESSAGE_STYLE ==uppercase){
> 
> ```

you don’t have an `uppercase` variable. You need to make the comparison of `process.env.MESSAGE_STYLE` with a string

* * *

I’ve edited your code for readability. When you enter a code block into a forum post, please precede it with a separate line of three backticks and follow it with a separate line of three backticks to make it easier to read.

You can also use the “preformatted text” tool in the editor (`</>`) to add backticks around text.

 ![Pre-formatted-text](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/original/3X/1/b/1b18854f1059217f29370444396145cc3a0cd8ae.gif)

See [this post](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/forum-code-formatting/25574) to find the backtick on your keyboard.  
**Note:** Backticks (`) are not single quotes (').

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![herky873](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/herky873/32/240212_2.png) [@herky873](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/herky873)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/3 "2024-11-16T15:08:09Z")

</div>

I’m not sure I understand. I have tried making uppercase a string, but I still can’t make it pass.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ILM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/ilm/32/363239_2.png) [@ILM](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/ILM)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/4 "2024-11-16T15:16:07Z")

</div>

did you restart the server after the changes? what’s inside your `.env` file?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![herky873](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/herky873/32/240212_2.png) [@herky873](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/herky873)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/5 "2024-11-16T15:19:23Z")

</div>

I have…

MESSAGE\_STYLE=uppercase…that is what is in the process.env file

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ILM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/ilm/32/363239_2.png) [@ILM](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/ILM)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/6 "2024-11-16T15:20:02Z")

</div>

it should be `.env` not `process.env`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![herky873](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/herky873/32/240212_2.png) [@herky873](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/herky873)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/7 "2024-11-16T15:21:28Z")

</div>

That worked. Thank you!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/original/3X/e/1/e1c433102e34b46dfaa3e15d13ab9a514b127078.svg) [@system](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/basic-node-and-express-use-the-env-file/720816/8 "2025-05-18T03:21:43Z")

</div>

Closed on May 18, 2025, 3:21am UTC

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