Lesson 5: I get error while creating encryption for private key

[debay1010]

The error message I got is below

TypeError: invalid private key (argument="privateKey", value="[ REDACTED ]", code=INVALID_ARGUMENT, version=6.8.1)
    at makeError (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/node_modules/ethers/lib.commonjs/utils/errors.js:122:21)
    at assert (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/node_modules/ethers/lib.commonjs/utils/errors.js:149:15)
    at assertArgument (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/node_modules/ethers/lib.commonjs/utils/errors.js:161:5)
    at new BaseWallet (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/node_modules/ethers/lib.commonjs/wallet/base-wallet.js:35:39)
    at new Wallet (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/node_modules/ethers/lib.commonjs/wallet/wallet.js:34:9)
    at main (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/encryptKey.js:6:18)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home/debay/sm-projects/hardhat-ethers/simple-storage/encryptKey.js:14:1)
    at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1256:14)
    at Module._extensions..js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1310:10)
    at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1119:32) {
  code: 'INVALID_ARGUMENT',
  argument: 'privateKey',
  value: '[ REDACTED ]',
  shortMessage: 'invalid private key'
}

and my code is :

const ethers = require("ethers");
const fs = require("fs-extra");
require("dotenv").config;

async function main() {
  const wallet = new ethers.Wallet(process.env.PRIVATE_KEY);
  const encryptedJsonKey = await wallet.encrypt(
    process.env.PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD,
    process.env.PRIVATE_KEY
  );
  fs.writeFileSync("./.encryptedKey,json", encryptedJsonKey);
}

main()
  .then(() => process.exit(0))
  .catch((error) => {
    console.log(error);
    process.exit(1);
  });

my pckage.json is :

{
  "dependencies": {
    "dotenv": "^16.3.1",
    "ethers": "^6.8.1",
    "fs-extra": "^11.1.1",
    "solc": "0.8.12"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "compile": "yarn solcjs --bin --abi --include-path node_modules/ --base-path . -o . SimpleStorage.sol"
  }
}

The problem resembles that posted at #5364

The private key i use is that of one of the accounts in my metamask and not from ganache.
Also the ethers version is 6.8.1

can somebody help me diagnose this problem. Thanks

[shrihari256]

I'm getting the same error... did you find out a solution for this?

[hemant933]

check ur .env file and replace PRIVATE_KEY parameter with ur own private key value

[HrithikKeshri10]

try this - require("dotenv").config();

[vincenth1]

You are missing the function brackets () as @hrithikk28 mentioned.
require("dotenv").config();

[ProKing13]

this is the answer