Standard Schema validators

ArkEnv supports any validator that implements the Standard Schema specification.

By default, ArkEnv runs validation through ArkType, which natively supports Standard Schema validators like Zod and Valibot. This lets you freely mix ArkType's string DSL with other validation libraries in the same schema.

If you prefer not to install ArkType, ArkEnv also provides a Standard-only mode that works with Standard Schema validators directly.

Supported validators

ArkEnv works with any validator that implements the Standard Schema interface, including:

• Zod - TypeScript-first schema validation
• Valibot - Modular schema validation
• ArkType (native) - TypeScript's 1:1 validator

To read more about Standard Schema, see the Standard Schema documentation.

Using Standard Schema with ArkType (default)

Since ArkType natively supports Standard Schema, you can freely mix ArkType DSL strings with Standard Schema validators in the same schema—no configuration needed.

npm install arkenv arktype zod

pnpm add arkenv arktype zod

yarn add arkenv arktype zod

bun add arkenv arktype zod

import arkenv from 'arkenv';
import * as z from 'zod';

export const env = arkenv({
  // ArkType DSL
  HOST: "string.host",
  PORT: "number.port",
  NODE_ENV: "'development' | 'production' | 'test'",
  
  // Standard Schema (Zod)
  DATABASE_URL: z.string().url(),
  API_KEY: z.string().min(32),
});

This is useful when:

• You want ArkType's concise DSL for simple fields
• You need library-specific features (transforms, refinements) for complex fields
• You're migrating gradually from another validation library

Using Standard Schema without ArkType

If you don't want ArkType installed, you can run ArkEnv in Standard-only mode by setting validator: "standard":

import arkenv from 'arkenv';
import { z } from 'zod';

export const env = arkenv(
  {
    PORT: z.coerce.number().int().min(0).max(65535),
    DATABASE_URL: z.string().url(),
    DEBUG: z.coerce.boolean().default(false),
  },
  { validator: "standard" }
);

When to use Standard-only mode

• You want a zero-ArkType runtime path
• You're migrating from another validation library
• You prefer Standard Schema validators exclusively
• You want to minimize bundle size

Limitations

• ArkType DSL strings are not supported (e.g., "number.port", "string.host")
• ArkType coercion is not available - validators handle their own parsing

Need help?

If you run into issues:

1. In default mode: Ensure you're using arktype@>=2.1.28
2. Verify your validator library implements Standard Schema 1.0
3. Join our Discord community for help