Cross-env simplifies cross-platform environment variable handling for Node.js projects. Versions 3.0.0 and 2.0.1, both MIT licensed and authored by Kent C. Dodds, aim to solve the problem of setting environment variables consistently across different operating systems. Both versions boast identical development dependencies like Chai for testing, Babel for JavaScript transpilation, Mocha for test running, and ESLint for code linting, emphasizing a commitment to code quality and maintainability. Key developer tools such as Istanbul for code coverage, Commitizen for commit message formatting, and Semantic Release for automated releases, are present in both.
The key difference lies in their direct dependencies. Version 2.0.1 relies on lodash.assign for object property assignment alongside cross-spawn for cross-platform process spawning. Version 3.0.0, however, streamlines its dependencies by solely depending on cross-spawn. This means that version 3.0.0 might offer a slightly smaller installation footprint, potentially translating into faster install times and reduced disk space usage and it indicates removal of lodash dependency. Developers may find version 3.0.0 more appealing due to its simplified dependency tree. Both versions are readily available on npm, with links to their respective tarballs provided. Developers can easily integrate either version into their projects to achieve cross-platform compatibility with environment variable configurations.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 3.0.0 of the package
Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) in cross-spawn
Versions of the package cross-spawn before 7.0.5 are vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS) due to improper input sanitization. An attacker can increase the CPU usage and crash the program by crafting a very large and well crafted string.
