TypeError: Invalid URL. Lesson 6 Hardhat Simple Storage

[jacobhay2626]

I have been trying to connect to the rinkeby network and deploy the contract with deploy.js. I obtained my rpc url by going to my alchemy dashboard and taking the https from the "1. Integrate with alchemy section" and it is in the .env file along with my private key.
My hardhat.config.js file looks like:

const RINKEBY_RPC_URL = process.env.RINKEBY_RPC_URL
const PRIVATE_KEY = process.env.PRIVATE_KEY

module.exports = {
    solidity: "0.8.8",
    defaultNetwork: "rinkeby",
    networks: {
        rinkeby: {
            url: "RINKEBY_RPC_URL",
            accounts: PRIVATE_KEY,
            chainId: 4,
        },
    },
}

and i currently get the error:

TypeError: Invalid URL
    at new NodeError (node:internal/errors:372:5)
    at URL.onParseError (node:internal/url:553:9)
    at new URL (node:internal/url:629:5)
    at new HttpProvider (/Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/hardhat/src/internal/core/providers/http.ts:51:17)
    at createProvider (/Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/hardhat/src/internal/core/providers/construction.ts:118:23)
    at /Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/hardhat/src/internal/core/runtime-environment.ts:82:28
    at getRealTarget (/Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/hardhat/src/internal/util/lazy.ts:112:22)
    at Object.get (/Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/hardhat/src/internal/util/lazy.ts:185:26)
    at createProviderProxy (/Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/@nomiclabs/hardhat-ethers/src/internal/provider-proxy.ts:25:19)
    at /Users/jacobhayward/Desktop/CODE/hh-fcc/hardhat-simple-storage-fcc/hardhat-tutorial/node_modules/@nomiclabs/hardhat-ethers/src/internal/index.ts:34:27 {
  input: 'RINKEBY_RPC_URL',
  code: 'ERR_INVALID_URL'
}

It seems to me there may be an issue with the URL that I am getting from the alchemy dashboard as I have tried my code as follows as well, which I have already seen suggested:

module.exports = {
    solidity: "0.8.8",
    defaultNetwork: "rinkeby",
    networks: {
        rinkeby: {
            url: process.env.RINKEBY_RPC_URL,
            accounts: [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY],
            chainId: 4,
        },
    },
}

which gives the error:

Error HH8: There's one or more errors in your config file:

  * Invalid value undefined for HardhatConfig.networks.rinkeby.url - Expected a value of type string.
  * Invalid account: #0 for network: rinkeby - Expected string, received undefined
  
To learn more about Hardhat's configuration, please go to https://hardhat.org/config/

For more info go to https://hardhat.org/HH8 or run Hardhat with --show-stack-traces

When i change it to my original code at the start of my question these errors are resolved and the new error appears.
My metamask wallet is definitely connected to the rinkeby test network incase that might've been an issue.

[jacobhay2626]

I managed to solve the issue by doing the following:

const RINKEBY_RPC_URL =
    process.env.RINKEBY_RPC_URL ||
    "https://eth-rinkeby.alchemyapi.io/v2/D2p30M4TCJURlZSocd7dJLlrJLMrLM8a"
const PRIVATE_KEY =
    process.env.PRIVATE_KEY ||
    "pasted my private key into here"

module.exports = {
    solidity: "0.8.8",
    defaultNetwork: "hardhat",
    networks: {
        rinkeby: {
            url: "https://eth-rinkeby.alchemyapi.io/v2/D2p30M4TCJURlZSocd7dJLlrJLMrLM8a",
            accounts: [PRIVATE_KEY],
            chainId: 4,
        },
    },
}

[tuhindasv0]

@jacobhay2626
not sure if you have added below line or not in hardhat.config.js

require("dotenv").config();

if not could you please try after adding.

Your code might not be able to get the env variable.

I am able to reproduce same error after comment the line

[jacobhay2626]

Yes, I did have the require/config line in the code but my issue was that the code wasn't able to access the information on that .env file. It seems i made the .env file but it wasn't in the same folder as my hardhat.config.js file. Correcting that fixed it.

[alymurtazamemon]

@jacobhay2626 Mark the answer after resolving issues, because others read the whole issue and find that issue is already resolved so it takes their time.

[waleedcj]

did you install dotenv ?
if you are using yarn do yarn add dotenv
or if NPM do npm install dotenv --save