Express NATS Microservice

A simple and efficient package for inter-microservice communication using Express.js and NATS Streaming. This package provides a streamlined way to publish and subscribe to messages between microservices, enabling reliable communication in a distributed architecture.

Features

• NATS Streaming integration: Allows microservices to communicate asynchronously.
• Publish/Subscribe Pattern: Supports both publishing messages and subscribing to topics.
• Configurable Acknowledgment: Provides options for manual acknowledgment, ensuring reliable message delivery.
• Express.js Compatible: Easily integrates with Express applications.

Installation

Install the package using npm:

npm install [email protected]

Getting Started

Step 1: Initialize and Configure

To start using the Express NATS Microservice package, first create an instance of the NatsMicroservice class, specifying the NATS Streaming cluster ID, client ID, and server URL.

const NatsMicroservice = require('express-nats-microservice');

const natsService = new NatsMicroservice('test-cluster', 'client-id', 'nats://localhost:4222');

Step 2: Connect to NATS Streaming

Use the connect method to establish a connection to the NATS Streaming server. This method returns a Promise, allowing asynchronous handling.

natsService.connect()
  .then(() => {
    console.log('Connected to NATS');
  })
  .catch((err) => {
    console.error('Failed to connect:', err);
  });

Step 3: Publish Messages

After connecting, use the publish method to send messages to a specific subject. This method takes a subject name and a message object.

natsService.publish('order', { event: 'order_created', data: { orderId: 123, userId: 456 } })
  .then((guid) => {
    console.log('Message published with GUID:', guid);
  })
  .catch((err) => {
    console.error('Failed to publish message:', err);
  });

Step 4: Subscribe to Messages

To receive messages, use the subscribe method, specifying the subject and a callback function to handle incoming messages. The callback receives parsed JSON data from the message.

natsService.subscribe('order', (message) => {
  console.log('Received message:', message);
});

Full Example

Here is a complete example that shows how to connect, publish, and subscribe to messages using the NatsMicroservice class.

const NatsMicroservice = require('express-nats-microservice');

const natsService = new NatsMicroservice('test-cluster', 'client-id', 'nats://localhost:4222');

async function start() {
  try {
    await natsService.connect();
    console.log('Connected to NATS');

    // Publish a message
    await natsService.publish('order', { event: 'order_created', data: { orderId: 123, userId: 456 } });
    console.log('Message published');

    // Subscribe to messages
    natsService.subscribe('order', (message) => {
      console.log('Received message:', message);
    });

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error starting the service:', error);
  }
}

start();

API Documentation

Class: NatsMicroservice

Constructor

new NatsMicroservice(clusterId, clientId, natsUrl)

• clusterId (string): The ID of the NATS Streaming cluster.
• clientId (string): The unique ID for the client connecting to NATS.
• natsUrl (string): The URL of the NATS Streaming server.

Methods

• connect()

  • Connects to the NATS Streaming server.
  • Returns: A Promise that resolves when the connection is established.

• publish(subject, message)

  • Publishes a message to a specific subject.
  • Parameters:
    • subject (string): The name of the subject.
    • message (object): The message data to be published.
  • Returns: A Promise that resolves with the message GUID upon successful publication.

• subscribe(subject, onMessage)

  • Subscribes to a subject to receive messages.
  • Parameters:
    • subject (string): The name of the subject to subscribe to.
    • onMessage (function): A callback function that processes incoming messages. Receives a parsed message object as an argument.

Error Handling

The package includes basic error handling for failed connections, publication errors, and subscription errors. It is recommended to use try-catch blocks or .catch() methods to handle potential issues in production environments.

Requirements

• Node.js version 10 or higher
• NATS Streaming server running and accessible

Example Use Case

This package is ideal for systems with microservices that need to communicate asynchronously, such as:

• Order Processing: One service can publish an "order_created" event, which other services (e.g., inventory, billing) subscribe to and handle in real-time.
• Notification Systems: Publish notifications to a message queue for real-time updates to subscribers.

License

This package is licensed under ISC. See the LICENSE file for more details.