Node Express API Template By Gulshan

A productive and scalable Node.js API template for developers.

Introduction

This Node Express API template provides a structured and organized starting point for building RESTful APIs using Node.js, Express.js, and Sequelize ORM. It comes with a pre-configured folder structure and essential components to quickly start building robust API applications.

Getting Started

To create a new project using this template, follow the steps below:

Prerequisites: Ensure you have Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) installed on your machine. You can download Node.js from the official website: https://nodejs.org/

Initialize Project: Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to create a new project:

npx node-express-api-template myprojectname

Replace myprojectname with the desired name for your new project.

Project Structure: Once the project is created, you'll find the following directory structure:

myprojectname/
├── src/
|   ├── controllers/
|   |   ├── userController.js
|   |   ├── otherController.js
|   |   └── ...
|   ├── routes/
|   |   ├── userRoutes.js
|   |   ├── otherRoutes.js
|   |   └── ...
|   ├── models/
|   |   ├── userModel.js
|   |   ├── otherModel.js
|   |   └── ...
|   ├── services/
|   |   ├── userService.js
|   |   ├── otherService.js
|   |   └── ...
|   ├── middlewares/
|   |   ├── authMiddleware.js
|   |   ├── validationMiddleware.js
|   |   └── ...
|   ├── utils/
|   |   ├── helperFunctions.js
|   |   ├── constants.js
|   |   └── ...
|   ├── app.js (main application file)
|   └── index.js (entry point)
├── tests/
|   ├── integration/
|   ├── unit/
|   └── ...
├── config/
|   ├── config.js (configuration variables)
|   ├── swagger.js (Swagger configuration)
|   └── ...
├── migrations/ (optional, if using database migrations)
├── public/ (optional, for static files)
├── views/ (optional, for server-side rendering templates)
├── .env (environment variables, should be in .gitignore)
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
└── ...

This organized structure separates components like controllers, models, services, and routes, making it easier to manage and scale your API application.

Installation: Change into your project directory:

cd myprojectname

Configuration: If required, update the configuration variables in config/config.js to match your specific project requirements.

Start the Server: To start your API server, run:

npm start

Your API server should now be running, and you can access it at http://localhost:3000.

Additional Information

Testing: This template comes with a pre-configured folder structure for tests, including integration and unit tests. You can write and run your tests using popular testing frameworks like Mocha and Chai.

Database Integration: If your project requires a database, you can use Sequelize ORM for easy database integration and management. The models folder contains the Sequelize models to define your database tables.

Authentication & Middleware: The middlewares folder includes sample middleware, such as authMiddleware.js, which you can use to add authentication and authorization functionality.

Environment Variables: Store your environment-specific configurations in the .env file (ensure it's added to .gitignore). You can access these variables using the dotenv package.

Conclusion

With this Node Express API template, you have a solid foundation to build your API projects efficiently. It offers a well-organized structure, essential components, and the flexibility to extend and customize according to your specific application needs.

Happy coding! 🚀