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Function Signature

function maybeEnvFloat(key: string): number | undefined

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Parameters

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key
string
required
The name of the environment variable to read

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Returns

number | undefined - The parsed floating-point number, or undefined if the variable is not set or empty.

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Behavior

Returns undefined when:
  • The environment variable is not set
  • The environment variable is an empty string
  • The environment variable contains only whitespace
Throws TypeError when:
  • The value cannot be parsed as a number

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Example

import { maybeEnvFloat } from "@load-env/core"

// Optional zoom level
export const ZOOM = maybeEnvFloat("ZOOM")

const defaultZoom = 1.0
const zoom = ZOOM ?? defaultZoom

console.log(`Using zoom level: ${zoom}`)

// Optional tax rate
export const TAX_RATE = maybeEnvFloat("TAX_RATE")

function calculateTotal(subtotal: number): number {
  if (TAX_RATE !== undefined) {
    return subtotal * (1 + TAX_RATE)
  }
  return subtotal
}

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When to Use

Use maybeEnvFloat instead of envFloat when:
  • The environment variable is optional
  • You want to handle missing values gracefully with undefined
  • You have a default value or fallback logic
Use envFloat when:
  • The environment variable is required for your application
  • You want the application to fail fast if the variable is missing

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