Staging config is not used

[nozpheratu]

Using v3.5.5, I defined a new staging environment, in config/webpacker.yml I have:

staging:
  <<: *default
  compile: false
  cache_manifest: true

I also have the following in config/webpack/staging.js:

const environment = require('./environment');
const webpack = require('webpack');

environment.plugins.append(
  'DefineGlobals',
  new webpack.DefinePlugin({
    API_HOST: JSON.stringify('https://example.com'),
  }),
);

module.exports = environment.toWebpackConfig();

This staging.js config does not seem to get incorporated into my pack at all when I built using RAILS_ENV=staging NODE_ENV=staging bundle exec rails assets:precompile, one of my packs utilizes this environment-specific variable.

Regardless of whether NODE_ENV is set to production or staging, in any case it seems to be using the settings in config/webpack/production.js rather than config/webpack/staging.js.

[rossta]

Here's the line that would determine which config/webpack/<env>.js file to use. It might be worth checking to be sure this code gets executed with the right env value when you run the webpack executable.

One possibility that occurred to me is, if you've upgraded from earlier versions: be sure you regenerate the binstub and uninstall previous versions of the gem, as discussed here.

[ndesorden]

Same issue here. Thanks to @rossta , i've debugged NODE_ENV in runner.rb and has production as value!!!! Now trying to find who/where is changing NODE_ENV

[ndesorden]

Ooops, the compile rake task has hardcoded "production". Amazing ;-)

namespace :webpacker do
  desc "Compile JavaScript packs using webpack for production with digests"
  task compile: ["webpacker:verify_install", :environment] do
    Webpacker.with_node_env("production") do
      ensure_log_goes_to_stdout do
        if Webpacker.compile
          # Successful compilation!
        else
          # Failed compilation
          exit!
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

[dreyks]

i think hardcoding was the way to decouple NODE_ENV and RAILS_ENV and still retain the rails-magic in making it just work for assets:precompile in production

[phlegx]

We have the same problem! So, why it does not use RAILS_ENV?

module Webpacker
  class Runner
    ...
    def initialize(argv)
      ...
      #@webpack_config    = File.join(@app_path, "config/webpack/#{ENV["NODE_ENV"]}.js")
      @webpack_config    = File.join(@app_path, "config/webpack/#{ENV["RAILS_ENV"]}.js")
      ...
    end
  end
end

And the task webpacker:compile has environment production hardcoded:

namespace :webpacker do
  task compile: ["webpacker:verify_install", :environment] do
    Webpacker.with_node_env("production") do
      ...
    end
  end
end

UPDATE

Here a working example with our webpacker changes:

gem 'webpacker', github: 'phlegx/webpacker'

This works for us using RAILS_ENV=staging bundle exec rails webpacker:compile

[jakeNiemiec]

@phlegx why it does not use RAILS_ENV?

Short Answer: NODE_ENV controls different things than RAILS_ENV.

Take the webpacker gem for example, there is a difference between developing on the gem and developing with the gem (as a tool). You want the JS/browser/packs side of things to think & act as if it was in production (as a tool). When RAILS_ENV is staging or test, you would want NODE_ENV to be set to production (for speed & reliability). More discussion: #1212 (comment)

[guillaumebriday]

Could we close this issue?