How and where to set environment variables in rails?

Question

So I'm working on someone else's Rails project. I cloned the repo and hit bundle install but when I used the commands rails db:migrate or rake db:migrate or rails s . I get a long list of error stack. it looks like this(PLEASE READ THE LAST LINE OF ERROR, ESPECIALLY THE END BIT ):

Traceback (most recent call last):
58: from bin/rails:4:in `<main>'
57: from bin/rails:4:in `require'
56: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands.rb:17:in `<top (required)>'
55: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/commands_tasks.rb:39:in `run_command!'
54: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/commands_tasks.rb:75:in `server'
53: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/commands_tasks.rb:75:in `tap'
52: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/commands_tasks.rb:80:in `block in server'
51: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/server.rb:78:in `start'
50: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/server.rb:139:in `log_to_stdout'
49: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/server.rb:337:in `wrapped_app'
48: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/commands/server.rb:61:in `app'
47: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/server.rb:209:in `app'
46: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/server.rb:300:in `build_app_and_options_from_config'
45: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/builder.rb:40:in `parse_file'
44: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/builder.rb:49:in `new_from_string'
43: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/builder.rb:49:in `eval'
42: from /Users/macbook/Desktop/develop/rails-projects/audiogon-staging/config.ru:in `<main>'
41: from /Users/macbook/Desktop/develop/rails-projects/audiogon-staging/config.ru:in `new'
40: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/builder.rb:55:in `initialize'
39: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/rack-1.6.13/lib/rack/builder.rb:55:in `instance_eval'
38: from /Users/macbook/Desktop/develop/rails-projects/audiogon-staging/config.ru:3:in `block in <main>'
37: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:274:in `require'
36: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:240:in `load_dependency'
35: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:274:in `block in require'
34: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:274:in `require'
33: from /Users/macbook/Desktop/develop/rails-projects/audiogon-staging/config/environment.rb:15:in `<top (required)>'
32: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/railtie.rb:194:in `method_missing'
31: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/railtie.rb:194:in `public_send'
30: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/application.rb:352:in `initialize!'
29: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/initializable.rb:54:in `run_initializers'
28: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:205:in `tsort_each'
27: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:226:in `tsort_each'
26: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:347:in `each_strongly_connected_component'
25: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:347:in `call'
24: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:347:in `each'
23: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:349:in `block in each_strongly_connected_component'
22: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:415:in `each_strongly_connected_component_from'
21: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:415:in `call'
20: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/initializable.rb:44:in `tsort_each_child'
19: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/initializable.rb:44:in `each'
18: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:421:in `block in each_strongly_connected_component_from'
17: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:431:in `each_strongly_connected_component_from'
16: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:422:in `block (2 levels) in each_strongly_connected_component_from'
15: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:350:in `block (2 levels) in each_strongly_connected_component'
14: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/2.6.0/tsort.rb:228:in `block in tsort_each'
13: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/initializable.rb:55:in `block in run_initializers'
12: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/initializable.rb:30:in `run'
11: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/initializable.rb:30:in `instance_exec'
10: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/engine.rb:615:in `block in <class:Engine>'
 9: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/engine.rb:615:in `each'
 8: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/engine.rb:616:in `block (2 levels) in <class:Engine>'
 7: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/engine.rb:651:in `load_config_initializer'
 6: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/notifications.rb:166:in `instrument'
 5: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/railties-4.2.11/lib/rails/engine.rb:652:in `block in load_config_initializer'
 4: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:268:in `load'
 3: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:240:in `load_dependency'
 2: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:268:in `block in load'
 1: from /Users/macbook/.rbenv/versions/2.6.3/lib/ruby/gems/2.6.0/gems/activesupport-4.2.11/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb:268:in `load'
 /Users/macbook/Desktop/develop/rails-projects/audiogon-staging/config/initializers/aws.rb:3:in `<top (required)>': Must set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID environment variable (RuntimeError)

So I have to set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID environment variable like the error says.

so the project's config/initializers/aws.rb file looks like this:

 Aws.config.update({
  region: 'us-east-1',
  access_key_id: (ENV['AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID'] or raise "Must set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID environment variable"),
  secret_access_key: (ENV['AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY'] or raise "Must set AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY environment variable")
 }) 

Further their config/enviroments/production.rb has this:

 config.zaius_aws_access_key_id = 'SomeLongStringOFkey'
 config.zaius_aws_secret_access_key = 'TheseAreNotRealJustExamples'

will copying these to config/enviroments/development.rb do the job?

I don't want to store the keys in my bash/linux enviroment, i want to set them up in my rails project, then where do I place my keys/credentials(in the project).I'm not bad with rails but I have very little experience with configuring and setting-up. I just want to get the project running so I can work on it.

Thankyou

Answer 1

Never, ever check AWS credentials in as part of your source control.

For a rails project, you would typically set these as part of a launch script on the linux environment (if it's not an AWS ec2).

If, however, you have the option of using EC2, you would not use credentials at all but would instead create an AWS IAM instance profile containing all the permissions your application needed and assign this to the EC2 instance in question. This would permit your Rails application (and anything else on the ec2) to access the permitted AWS services, but would prevent any chance of credentials leaking outside AWS.

Again, checking AWS credentials into source control is wicked. Don't be wicked.