W
Wasp•2mo ago
rachelslurs

I've had the env vars validation fail

I've had this failure happen to me twice now with seemingly unrelated code. I looked in my server files and don't see any imports from wasp/client (from here: https://discord.com/channels/686873244791210014/1402311673993367632) 
[ Server!] %s
[ Server!] ══ Env vars validation failed ══
[ Server!] 
[ Server!]  - Required
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] ════════════════════════════════
[ Server!] /Users/rachel/Code/rc/recipecast-app/app/.wasp/out/sdk/wasp/dist/env/validation.js:11
[ Server!]         throw new Error('Error parsing environment variables');
[ Server!]               ^
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] Error: Error parsing environment variables
[ Server!]     at ensureEnvSchema (/Users/rachel/Code/rc/recipecast-app/app/.wasp/out/sdk/wasp/dist/env/validation.js:11:15)
[ Server!]     at <anonymous> (/Users/rachel/Code/rc/recipecast-app/app/.wasp/out/sdk/wasp/dist/client/env.js:4:20)
[ Server!]     at ModuleJob.run (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:274:25)
[ Server!]     at async onImport.tracePromise.__proto__ (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:644:26)
[ Server!]     at async asyncRunEntryPointWithESMLoader (node:internal/modules/run_main:98:5)
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] Node.js v23.10.0
[ Server ] [nodemon] app crashed - waiting for file changes before starting...
[ Server!] %s
[ Server!] ══ Env vars validation failed ══
[ Server!] 
[ Server!]  - Required
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] ════════════════════════════════
[ Server!] /Users/rachel/Code/rc/recipecast-app/app/.wasp/out/sdk/wasp/dist/env/validation.js:11
[ Server!]         throw new Error('Error parsing environment variables');
[ Server!]               ^
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] Error: Error parsing environment variables
[ Server!]     at ensureEnvSchema (/Users/rachel/Code/rc/recipecast-app/app/.wasp/out/sdk/wasp/dist/env/validation.js:11:15)
[ Server!]     at <anonymous> (/Users/rachel/Code/rc/recipecast-app/app/.wasp/out/sdk/wasp/dist/client/env.js:4:20)
[ Server!]     at ModuleJob.run (node:internal/modules/esm/module_job:274:25)
[ Server!]     at async onImport.tracePromise.__proto__ (node:internal/modules/esm/loader:644:26)
[ Server!]     at async asyncRunEntryPointWithESMLoader (node:internal/modules/run_main:98:5)
[ Server!] 
[ Server!] Node.js v23.10.0
[ Server ] [nodemon] app crashed - waiting for file changes before starting...
I am positive there is no %s in my env files. This seems to happen with things completely unrelated to env files. Been hitting my head on my desk for a bit on this. Not sure how it could be related, but FYI I am currently working on setting up Google Analytics and adding events and user properties.
6 Replies
kapa.ai
kapa.ai•2mo ago
Hi @rachelslurs. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave: ---------------------- Based on the error message you provided, the Wasp server is failing during environment variable validation, specifically in the env validation logic generated by Wasp. The error: 
[ Server!] ══ Env vars validation failed ══
...
[ Server!] Error: Error parsing environment variables
[ Server!] ══ Env vars validation failed ══
...
[ Server!] Error: Error parsing environment variables
indicates that one or more required environment variables are missing or malformed, and the validation logic (often using a schema, e.g., with zod) is throwing an error as a result. Here are some key points and troubleshooting steps based on the knowledge sources: 1. Required Env Vars: Wasp requires certain environment variables to be set, especially for the server (e.g., DATABASE_URL, WASP_WEB_CLIENT_URL, WASP_SERVER_URL, and JWT_SECRET if using auth). If any of these are missing or empty, validation will fail. Double-check your .env.server (or .env if used for server) file for completeness and correctness. Even a missing or empty value can cause this error Docs: Env Vars in Deployment. 2. Validation Logic: Wasp uses schema validation for env vars, and if parsing fails, it throws a generic error like the one you see. The validation logic is similar to the zod-based example in the knowledge sources, which will exit the process if required vars are missing or invalid Github Issue #175. 3. No %s in Env Files: The %s in your log is likely a formatting placeholder in the logger, not something from your env files. The real issue is the missing or invalid env var(s). 4. Unrelated Code Changes: Even if your recent changes are unrelated to env vars, if the validation fails, it will block the server from starting. Sometimes, unrelated changes can trigger a rebuild or reload that re-validates env vars. 5. Node Version: You are using Node.js v23.10.0. While the knowledge sources do not specify a required Node version, most Wasp projects are tested with LTS versions (e.g., 18.x or 20.x). Using a bleeding-edge version could introduce unexpected issues, so consider switching to an LTS version if problems persist. 6. Debugging Steps: - Double-check your .env.server (or .env) for typos, missing values, or extra whitespace. - Make sure all required env vars are present and non-empty. - If you are using social auth (e.g., Google), ensure all required client IDs and secrets are set Docs: Env Vars. - Try running with a supported Node.js LTS version. If after checking all of the above the issue persists, try to isolate the problem by creating a minimal .env.server with only the required variables and see if the error changes. If it does, incrementally add back your other variables. If you need more detailed help, sharing your .env.server (with secrets redacted) and the full list of required env vars for your app would help the community assist you further. Let me know if you need more specific troubleshooting steps! ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ---------------------- Sorry @rachelslurs, I seem to be having a bit of trouble. Don't worry though, I've pinged my support and they will try to fix me up! :technologist: Perhaps try again in 15mins?
rachelslurs
rachelslursOP•2mo ago
@kapa.ai I think I figured it out. I was calling a client side analytics call from within one of the auth hooks. Is there a recommended way to make an analytics call on sign up/log in/etc?
kapa.ai
kapa.ai•2mo ago
Let me check the knowledge base for you again. One moment! :books: ---------------------- Currently, Wasp does not provide built-in hooks for running custom server-side code directly after signup or login. This limitation is well-documented and is a known feature request that the team is actively working on for a future release (Discord thread, Github Issue #1556). Workarounds: - Custom Auth Actions:
For username/password auth, you can implement your own custom signup and login actions. This allows you to run custom logic (including analytics calls) after signup or login, but it requires you to build your own Auth UI and actions, which can be cumbersome (Discord thread, Docs: Custom Signup Action). - Client-Side Analytics:
If you want to make analytics calls (e.g., to Google Analytics) on signup or login, the recommended approach is to trigger these calls on the client side, after the user has successfully signed up or logged in. For example, after a successful login/signup action in your React component, you can call your analytics function. This avoids issues with trying to call client-side code from server-side hooks, which is not supported and can cause errors like the one you experienced. Summary:
- There is no official server-side hook for analytics on auth events yet. - For now, trigger analytics calls on the client after successful auth actions. - If you need server-side logic, you must implement custom auth actions and UI. If you need more details on how to implement custom auth actions or client-side analytics calls, let me know! ---------------------- Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: ---------------------- Sorry @rachelslurs, I seem to be having a bit of trouble. Don't worry though, I've pinged my support and they will try to fix me up! :technologist: Perhaps try again in 15mins?
Carlos
Carlos•2mo ago
hey @rachelslurs, it depends on your analytics provider! they will probably have a section on "server-side analytics" or something like that. For connecting it with Wasp, you can check the Auth Hooks.
rachelslurs
rachelslursOP•2mo ago
I am using Google Analytics. Just was a bit thrown by the auth hooks being server side. Might be helpful to include something saying the feature is server side only. But of course, I should have known given there are wasp/server imports in the example. 😅 Are there any useful patterns you've seen for handling analytics calls? I ended up adding an AnalyticsContext.tsx with 
interface AnalyticsContextType {
  initializeAnalytics: () => void;
  setUserProperties: (user: User) => void;
  trackNavigation: (action: string, data: any) => void;
  trackInteraction: (action: string, data: any) => void;
  trackSystemEvent: (action: string, data: any) => void;    // For system/technical events
  trackAnonymousEvent: (action: string, data: any) => void; // For anonymous user events
}
interface AnalyticsContextType {
  initializeAnalytics: () => void;
  setUserProperties: (user: User) => void;
  trackNavigation: (action: string, data: any) => void;
  trackInteraction: (action: string, data: any) => void;
  trackSystemEvent: (action: string, data: any) => void;    // For system/technical events
  trackAnonymousEvent: (action: string, data: any) => void; // For anonymous user events
}
I think it might be helpful for me to eventually add server-side support, but for now I'm working on basics for https://recipecast.app 🙂
RecipeCast - Cast Recipes to your TV or Smart Display
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Carlos
Carlos•2mo ago
The context is a good solution! This way it is also testable if you want 🙂

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