Barnes Node.js TypeScript Express Starter

A modern, production-ready Node.js backend starter template with TypeScript, Express, and essential development tooling. Get up and running in seconds with a well-structured, scalable backend foundation.

🚀 Quick Start

Create a new backend project instantly using npx:

npx barnes-node-ts-express-starter

Follow the prompts to:

1. Enter your project name
2. Navigate to the created directory
3. Install dependencies
4. Start developing!

cd your-project-name
npm install
npm run dev

Your server will be running at http://localhost:3001 🎉

✨ Features

• TypeScript: Full TypeScript support with strict configuration
• Express.js: Fast, minimalist web framework
• Hot Reload: Automatic server restart on file changes with nodemon
• Environment Management: Flexible environment configuration
• Modern ES Modules: Uses ES6 import/export syntax
• Health Check: Built-in status endpoint for monitoring
• Production Ready: Includes build scripts and optimized configuration
• Clean Architecture: Well-organized project structure

📁 Project Structure

your-project/
├── src/
│   ├── app.ts              # Express app configuration
│   ├── server.ts           # Server entry point
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── env.ts          # Environment configuration
│   └── routes/
│       ├── index.ts        # Main router
│       └── status.ts       # Health check endpoint
├── dist/                   # Compiled JavaScript (after build)
├── nodemon.json           # Nodemon configuration for development
├── nodemon.local.json     # Nodemon configuration for local env
├── tsconfig.json          # TypeScript configuration
├── package.json           # Dependencies and scripts
└── README.md              # This file

🛠 Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server with hot reload (NODE_ENV=development)
• npm run dev:local - Start development server in local mode (loads .env file)
• npm run build - Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
• npm start - Start production server from compiled code

🔧 Environment Configuration

The starter supports multiple environment modes:

Development Mode

npm run dev

• Uses NODE_ENV=development
• No .env file loading (uses system environment variables)

Local Mode

npm run dev:local

• Uses NODE_ENV=local
• Automatically loads .env file for local development
• Create a .env file in your project root:

PORT=3001
APP_MESSAGE=Hello from local development!

Production

npm run build
npm start

• Runs compiled JavaScript from dist/ folder
• Uses production environment variables

📡 API Endpoints

Health Check

• GET /status - Returns server health information

Example response:

{
  "uptime": 123.456,
  "message": "OK",
  "timestamp": 1674567890123
}

🚀 Getting Started with Development

1. Add new routes: Create new route files in src/routes/ and register them in src/routes/index.ts

2. Environment variables: Add your variables to the .env file for local development

3. Middleware: Add Express middleware in src/app.ts

4. Configuration: Modify environment loading in src/config/env.ts

📦 Dependencies

Production Dependencies

• express: Fast, unopinionated web framework
• dotenv: Loads environment variables from .env file

Development Dependencies

• typescript: TypeScript compiler
• @types/express: TypeScript definitions for Express
• nodemon: Monitors file changes and restarts server
• tsx: TypeScript execution engine
• cross-env: Cross-platform environment variable setting

🔄 Customization

Adding Database Support

# Example: Adding MongoDB with Mongoose
npm install mongoose
npm install -D @types/mongoose

Adding Authentication

# Example: Adding JWT authentication
npm install jsonwebtoken bcryptjs
npm install -D @types/jsonwebtoken @types/bcryptjs

Adding Validation

# Example: Adding request validation
npm install joi
npm install -D @types/joi

📋 Best Practices Included

• TypeScript strict mode for better code quality
• ES Modules for modern JavaScript features
• Modular routing for scalable code organization
• Environment-based configuration for different deployment stages
• Health check endpoint for monitoring and load balancers
• Development tooling with hot reload and TypeScript watching

🤝 Contributing

This starter template is designed to be a solid foundation for Node.js backend projects. Feel free to customize it according to your needs!

📝 License

MIT License - feel free to use this starter for your projects!

Happy coding! 🎯

Built with ❤️ for rapid backend development