|  |  | # cosmiconfig
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [](https://travis-ci.org/davidtheclark/cosmiconfig) [](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/davidtheclark/cosmiconfig/branch/main)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [](https://codecov.io/gh/davidtheclark/cosmiconfig)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Cosmiconfig searches for and loads configuration for your program.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | It features smart defaults based on conventional expectations in the JavaScript ecosystem.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | But it's also flexible enough to search wherever you'd like to search, and load whatever you'd like to load.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | By default, Cosmiconfig will start where you tell it to start and search up the directory tree for the following:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `package.json` property
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a JSON or YAML, extensionless "rc file"
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - an "rc file" with the extensions `.json`, `.yaml`, `.yml`, `.js`, or `.cjs`
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - any of the above two inside a `.config` subdirectory
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `.config.js` or `.config.cjs` CommonJS module
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | For example, if your module's name is "myapp", cosmiconfig will search up the directory tree for configuration in the following places:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `myapp` property in `package.json`
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `.myapprc` file in JSON or YAML format
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `.myapprc.json`, `.myapprc.yaml`, `.myapprc.yml`, `.myapprc.js`, or `.myapprc.cjs` file
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `myapprc`, `myapprc.json`, `myapprc.yaml`, `myapprc.yml`, `myapprc.js` or `myapprc.cjs` file inside a `.config` subdirectory`
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - a `myapp.config.js` or `myapp.config.cjs` CommonJS module exporting an object
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Cosmiconfig continues to search up the directory tree, checking each of these places in each directory, until it finds some acceptable configuration (or hits the home directory).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Table of contents
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Installation](#installation)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Usage](#usage)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Result](#result)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Asynchronous API](#asynchronous-api)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [cosmiconfig()](#cosmiconfig-1)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorer.search()](#explorersearch)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorer.load()](#explorerload)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorer.clearLoadCache()](#explorerclearloadcache)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorer.clearSearchCache()](#explorerclearsearchcache)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorer.clearCaches()](#explorerclearcaches)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Synchronous API](#synchronous-api)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [cosmiconfigSync()](#cosmiconfigsync)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorerSync.search()](#explorersyncsearch)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorerSync.load()](#explorersyncload)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorerSync.clearLoadCache()](#explorersyncclearloadcache)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorerSync.clearSearchCache()](#explorersyncclearsearchcache)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [explorerSync.clearCaches()](#explorersyncclearcaches)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [cosmiconfigOptions](#cosmiconfigoptions)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [searchPlaces](#searchplaces)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [loaders](#loaders)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [packageProp](#packageprop)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [stopDir](#stopdir)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [cache](#cache)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [transform](#transform)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   - [ignoreEmptySearchPlaces](#ignoreemptysearchplaces)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Caching](#caching)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Differences from rc](#differences-from-rc)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [Contributing & Development](#contributing--development)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Installation
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | npm install cosmiconfig
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Tested in Node 10+.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Usage
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Create a Cosmiconfig explorer, then either `search` for or directly `load` a configuration file.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const { cosmiconfig, cosmiconfigSync } = require('cosmiconfig');
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // ...
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const explorer = cosmiconfig(moduleName);
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Search for a configuration by walking up directories.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // See documentation for search, below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | explorer.search()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   .then((result) => {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     // result.config is the parsed configuration object.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     // result.filepath is the path to the config file that was found.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     // result.isEmpty is true if there was nothing to parse in the config file.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   })
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   .catch((error) => {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     // Do something constructive.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   });
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Load a configuration directly when you know where it should be.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // The result object is the same as for search.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // See documentation for load, below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | explorer.load(pathToConfig).then(..);
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // You can also search and load synchronously.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const explorerSync = cosmiconfigSync(moduleName);
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const searchedFor = explorerSync.search();
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const loaded = explorerSync.load(pathToConfig);
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Result
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | The result object you get from `search` or `load` has the following properties:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - **config:** The parsed configuration object. `undefined` if the file is empty.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - **filepath:** The path to the configuration file that was found.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - **isEmpty:** `true` if the configuration file is empty. This property will not be present if the configuration file is not empty.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Asynchronous API
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### cosmiconfig()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const { cosmiconfig } = require('cosmiconfig');
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const explorer = cosmiconfig(moduleName[, cosmiconfigOptions])
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Creates a cosmiconfig instance ("explorer") configured according to the arguments, and initializes its caches.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | #### moduleName
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `string`. **Required.**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Your module name. This is used to create the default [`searchPlaces`] and [`packageProp`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If your [`searchPlaces`] value will include files, as it does by default (e.g. `${moduleName}rc`), your `moduleName` must consist of characters allowed in filenames. That means you should not copy scoped package names, such as `@my-org/my-package`, directly into `moduleName`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **[`cosmiconfigOptions`] are documented below.**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | You may not need them, and should first read about the functions you'll use.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorer.search()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | explorer.search([searchFrom]).then(result => {..})
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Searches for a configuration file. Returns a Promise that resolves with a [result] or with `null`, if no configuration file is found.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | You can do the same thing synchronously with [`explorerSync.search()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Let's say your module name is `goldengrahams` so you initialized with `const explorer = cosmiconfig('goldengrahams');`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Here's how your default [`search()`] will work:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Starting from `process.cwd()` (or some other directory defined by the `searchFrom` argument to [`search()`]), look for configuration objects in the following places:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   1. A `goldengrahams` property in a `package.json` file.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   2. A `.goldengrahamsrc` file with JSON or YAML syntax.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   3. A `.goldengrahamsrc.json`, `.goldengrahamsrc.yaml`, `.goldengrahamsrc.yml`, `.goldengrahamsrc.js`, or `.goldengrahamsrc.cjs` file.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   4. A `goldengrahamsrc`, `goldengrahamsrc.json`, `goldengrahamsrc.yaml`, `goldengrahamsrc.yml`, `goldengrahamsrc.js`, or `goldengrahamsrc.cjs` file in the `.config` subdirectory.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   5. A `goldengrahams.config.js` or `goldengrahams.config.cjs` CommonJS module exporting the object.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - If none of those searches reveal a configuration object, move up one directory level and try again.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   So the search continues in `./`, `../`, `../../`, `../../../`, etc., checking the same places in each directory.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Continue searching until arriving at your home directory (or some other directory defined by the cosmiconfig option [`stopDir`]).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - If at any point a parsable configuration is found, the [`search()`] Promise resolves with its [result] \(or, with [`explorerSync.search()`], the [result] is returned).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - If no configuration object is found, the [`search()`] Promise resolves with `null` (or, with [`explorerSync.search()`], `null` is returned).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - If a configuration object is found *but is malformed* (causing a parsing error), the [`search()`] Promise rejects with that error (so you should `.catch()` it). (Or, with [`explorerSync.search()`], the error is thrown.)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **If you know exactly where your configuration file should be, you can use [`load()`], instead.**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **The search process is highly customizable.**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Use the cosmiconfig options [`searchPlaces`] and [`loaders`] to precisely define where you want to look for configurations and how you want to load them.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | #### searchFrom
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `string`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: `process.cwd()`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | A filename.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`search()`] will start its search here.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If the value is a directory, that's where the search starts.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If it's a file, the search starts in that file's directory.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorer.load()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | explorer.load(loadPath).then(result => {..})
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Loads a configuration file. Returns a Promise that resolves with a [result] or rejects with an error (if the file does not exist or cannot be loaded).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Use `load` if you already know where the configuration file is and you just need to load it.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | explorer.load('load/this/file.json'); // Tries to load load/this/file.json.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If you load a `package.json` file, the result will be derived from whatever property is specified as your [`packageProp`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | You can do the same thing synchronously with [`explorerSync.load()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorer.clearLoadCache()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Clears the cache used in [`load()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorer.clearSearchCache()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Clears the cache used in [`search()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorer.clearCaches()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Performs both [`clearLoadCache()`] and [`clearSearchCache()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Synchronous API
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### cosmiconfigSync()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const { cosmiconfigSync } = require('cosmiconfig');
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const explorerSync = cosmiconfigSync(moduleName[, cosmiconfigOptions])
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Creates a *synchronous* cosmiconfig instance ("explorerSync") configured according to the arguments, and initializes its caches.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | See [`cosmiconfig()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorerSync.search()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const result = explorerSync.search([searchFrom]);
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Synchronous version of [`explorer.search()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Returns a [result] or `null`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorerSync.load()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const result = explorerSync.load(loadPath);
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Synchronous version of [`explorer.load()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Returns a [result].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorerSync.clearLoadCache()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Clears the cache used in [`load()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorerSync.clearSearchCache()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Clears the cache used in [`search()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### explorerSync.clearCaches()
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Performs both [`clearLoadCache()`] and [`clearSearchCache()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## cosmiconfigOptions
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `Object`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Possible options are documented below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### searchPlaces
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `Array<string>`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: See below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | An array of places that [`search()`] will check in each directory as it moves up the directory tree.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Each place is relative to the directory being searched, and the places are checked in the specified order.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Default `searchPlaces`:**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'package.json',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.${moduleName}rc`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.${moduleName}rc.json`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.${moduleName}rc.yaml`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.${moduleName}rc.yml`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.${moduleName}rc.js`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.${moduleName}rc.cjs`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.config/${moduleName}rc`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.config/${moduleName}rc.json`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.config/${moduleName}rc.yaml`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.config/${moduleName}rc.yml`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.config/${moduleName}rc.js`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `.config/${moduleName}rc.cjs`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `${moduleName}.config.js`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   `${moduleName}.config.cjs`,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Create your own array to search more, fewer, or altogether different places.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Every item in `searchPlaces` needs to have a loader in [`loaders`] that corresponds to its extension.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | (Common extensions are covered by default loaders.)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Read more about [`loaders`] below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | `package.json` is a special value: When it is included in `searchPlaces`, Cosmiconfig will always parse it as JSON and load a property within it, not the whole file.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | That property is defined with the [`packageProp`] option, and defaults to your module name.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Examples, with a module named `porgy`:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Disallow extensions on rc files:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'package.json',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.porgyrc',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'porgy.config.js'
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // ESLint searches for configuration in these places:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.eslintrc.js',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.eslintrc.yaml',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.eslintrc.yml',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.eslintrc.json',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.eslintrc',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'package.json'
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Babel looks in fewer places:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'package.json',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.babelrc'
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Maybe you want to look for a wide variety of JS flavors:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'porgy.config.js',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'porgy.config.mjs',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'porgy.config.ts',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'porgy.config.coffee'
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // ^^ You will need to designate custom loaders to tell
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Cosmiconfig how to handle these special JS flavors.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Look within a .config/ subdirectory of every searched directory:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   'package.json',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.porgyrc',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.config/.porgyrc',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.porgyrc.json',
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.config/.porgyrc.json'
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### loaders
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `Object`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: See below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | An object that maps extensions to the loader functions responsible for loading and parsing files with those extensions.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Cosmiconfig exposes its default loaders on a named export `defaultLoaders`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Default `loaders`:**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | const { defaultLoaders } = require('cosmiconfig');
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | console.log(Object.entries(defaultLoaders))
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // [
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | //   [ '.cjs', [Function: loadJs] ],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | //   [ '.js', [Function: loadJs] ],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | //   [ '.json', [Function: loadJson] ],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | //   [ '.yaml', [Function: loadYaml] ],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | //   [ '.yml', [Function: loadYaml] ],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | //   [ 'noExt', [Function: loadYaml] ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // ]
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | (YAML is a superset of JSON; which means YAML parsers can parse JSON; which is how extensionless files can be either YAML *or* JSON with only one parser.)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **If you provide a `loaders` object, your object will be *merged* with the defaults.**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | So you can override one or two without having to override them all.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Keys in `loaders`** are extensions (starting with a period), or `noExt` to specify the loader for files *without* extensions, like `.myapprc`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Values in `loaders`** are a loader function (described below) whose values are loader functions.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **The most common use case for custom loaders value is to load extensionless `rc` files as strict JSON**, instead of JSON *or* YAML (the default).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | To accomplish that, provide the following `loaders` value:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   noExt: defaultLoaders['.json']
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If you want to load files that are not handled by the loader functions Cosmiconfig exposes, you can write a custom loader function or use one from NPM if it exists.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Third-party loaders:**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - [cosmiconfig-typescript-loader](https://github.com/codex-/cosmiconfig-typescript-loader)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Use cases for custom loader function:**
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Allow configuration syntaxes that aren't handled by Cosmiconfig's defaults, like JSON5, INI, or XML.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Allow ES2015 modules from `.mjs` configuration files.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Parse JS files with Babel before deriving the configuration.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | **Custom loader functions** have the following signature:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Sync
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | (filepath: string, content: string) => Object | null
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Async
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | (filepath: string, content: string) => Object | null | Promise<Object | null>
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Cosmiconfig reads the file when it checks whether the file exists, so it will provide you with both the file's path and its content.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Do whatever you need to, and return either a configuration object or `null` (or, for async-only loaders, a Promise that resolves with one of those).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | `null` indicates that no real configuration was found and the search should continue.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | A few things to note:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - If you use a custom loader, be aware of whether it's sync or async: you cannot use async customer loaders with the sync API ([`cosmiconfigSync()`]).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - **Special JS syntax can also be handled by using a `require` hook**, because `defaultLoaders['.js']` just uses `require`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   Whether you use custom loaders or a `require` hook is up to you.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Examples:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```js
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Allow JSON5 syntax:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.json': json5Loader
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Allow a special configuration syntax of your own creation:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.special': specialLoader
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Allow many flavors of JS, using custom loaders:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.mjs': esmLoader,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.ts': typeScriptLoader,
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.coffee': coffeeScriptLoader
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | // Allow many flavors of JS but rely on require hooks:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.mjs': defaultLoaders['.js'],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.ts': defaultLoaders['.js'],
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   '.coffee': defaultLoaders['.js']
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### packageProp
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `string | Array<string>`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: `` `${moduleName}` ``.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Name of the property in `package.json` to look for.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Use a period-delimited string or an array of strings to describe a path to nested properties.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | For example, the value `'configs.myPackage'` or `['configs', 'myPackage']` will get you the `"myPackage"` value in a `package.json` like this:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```json
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   "configs": {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     "myPackage": {..}
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If nested property names within the path include periods, you need to use an array of strings. For example, the value `['configs', 'foo.bar', 'baz']` will get you the `"baz"` value in a `package.json` like this:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```json
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   "configs": {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     "foo.bar": {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |       "baz": {..}
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If a string includes period but corresponds to a top-level property name, it will not be interpreted as a period-delimited path. For example, the value `'one.two'` will get you the `"three"` value in a `package.json` like this:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```json
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   "one.two": "three",
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   "one": {
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |     "two": "four"
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  |   }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | }
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ```
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### stopDir
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `string`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: Absolute path to your home directory.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Directory where the search will stop.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### cache
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `boolean`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: `true`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If `false`, no caches will be used.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Read more about ["Caching"](#caching) below.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### transform
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `(Result) => Promise<Result> | Result`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | A function that transforms the parsed configuration. Receives the [result].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If using [`search()`] or [`load()`] \(which are async), the transform function can return the transformed result or return a Promise that resolves with the transformed result.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If using `cosmiconfigSync`, [`search()`] or [`load()`], the function must be synchronous and return the transformed result.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | The reason you might use this option — instead of simply applying your transform function some other way — is that *the transformed result will be cached*. If your transformation involves additional filesystem I/O or other potentially slow processing, you can use this option to avoid repeating those steps every time a given configuration is searched or loaded.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ### ignoreEmptySearchPlaces
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Type: `boolean`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Default: `true`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | By default, if [`search()`] encounters an empty file (containing nothing but whitespace) in one of the [`searchPlaces`], it will ignore the empty file and move on.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If you'd like to load empty configuration files, instead, set this option to `false`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Why might you want to load empty configuration files?
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | If you want to throw an error, or if an empty configuration file means something to your program.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Caching
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | As of v2, cosmiconfig uses caching to reduce the need for repetitious reading of the filesystem or expensive transforms. Every new cosmiconfig instance (created with `cosmiconfig()`) has its own caches.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | To avoid or work around caching, you can do the following:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Set the `cosmiconfig` option [`cache`] to `false`.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Use the cache-clearing methods [`clearLoadCache()`], [`clearSearchCache()`], and [`clearCaches()`].
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Create separate instances of cosmiconfig (separate "explorers").
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Differences from [rc](https://github.com/dominictarr/rc)
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [rc](https://github.com/dominictarr/rc) serves its focused purpose well. cosmiconfig differs in a few key ways — making it more useful for some projects, less useful for others:
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Looks for configuration in some different places: in a `package.json` property, an rc file, a `.config.js` file, and rc files with extensions.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Built-in support for JSON, YAML, and CommonJS formats.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Stops at the first configuration found, instead of finding all that can be found up the directory tree and merging them automatically.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Options.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | - Asynchronous by default (though can be run synchronously).
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | ## Contributing & Development
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | Please note that this project is released with a [Contributor Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | And please do participate!
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [result]: #result
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`load()`]: #explorerload
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`search()`]: #explorersearch
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`clearloadcache()`]: #explorerclearloadcache
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`clearsearchcache()`]: #explorerclearsearchcache
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`cosmiconfig()`]: #cosmiconfig
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`cosmiconfigSync()`]: #cosmiconfigsync
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`clearcaches()`]: #explorerclearcaches
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`packageprop`]: #packageprop
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`cache`]: #cache
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`stopdir`]: #stopdir
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`searchplaces`]: #searchplaces
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`loaders`]: #loaders
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`cosmiconfigoptions`]: #cosmiconfigoptions
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`explorerSync.search()`]: #explorersyncsearch
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`explorerSync.load()`]: #explorersyncload
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`explorer.search()`]: #explorersearch
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | 
 | 
						
						
						
							|  |  | [`explorer.load()`]: #explorerload
 |