create-nodeapi-backend

A simple boilerplate for quickly setting up a Node.js API with Express, MongoDB, JWT authentication, and more. This tool will help you generate a fully functional backend with minimal configuration.

Features

• Express.js: RESTful API with Express for handling routes and middleware.
• MongoDB: Database integration via Mongoose or Prisma ORM.
• JWT Authentication: Secure user login, session management, and JWTs.
• Nodemailer: Preconfigured SMTP mail sending utilities.
• Firebase Integration: Ready-to-go Firebase client configuration.
• Node-cron: Task scheduling out of the box.
• Google OAuth: Complete authentication pipeline using Google OAuth 2.0.
• Serverless Support: Preconfigured files for smooth Vercel deployments.
• Input Validation: Robust Joi/Zod input validation.

Available Templates

When running the generator, you can choose from the following pre-configured project templates:

1. JavaScript

   • Database & ODM: MongoDB with Mongoose
   • Bundler: Webpack
   • Features: A fully functional JavaScript backend with JWT Auth, OTP verification, password resets, Google OAuth, Sentry logging, and profile uploads.

2. TypeScript

   • Database & ODM: MongoDB with Mongoose
   • Bundler: Rollup
   • Features: A clean, minimal TypeScript skeleton featuring Sentry, Firebase client, Nodemailer, and database retry logic.

3. TypeScript with Prisma (MongoDB)

   • Database & ORM: MongoDB with Prisma ORM
   • Caching & Realtime: Redis integration and WebSockets (ws)
   • Bundler: Rollup and esbuild
   • Features: An advanced, production-ready CRM/Admin boilerplate. Features a custom Swagger UI documentation page (/api-docs), Sentry error handlers, roles & permissions (RBAC) middleware, email templating, and bulk emailing jobs.

How to Install

1. Create a New Project:

   To launch the interactive generator, run the following command:

   npx create-nodeapi-backend@latest

   During the prompt wizard, you will be asked to choose:

   • A project name.
   • A template (JavaScript, TypeScript, or TypeScript with Prisma).
   • A package manager (npm, pnpm, or bun).

2. Navigate to the Project Folder:

   cd your-project-folder

   ✅ Note: Dependencies are automatically installed by the CLI using the package manager you chose during setup.

3. Setup Environment

   Before running the application, make sure to set up your environment variables.

   Copy the .env.sample file to .env:

   cp .env.sample .env

   Open the .env file and update the necessary fields with your credentials.

Example .env:

    JWT_SECRET=1111111111111111scscsdcsdc
    JWT_ACCESS_EXPIRATION_MINUTES=4200
    JWT_REFRESH_EXPIRATION_MINUTES=800
    NODE_ENV=dev

    PORT=3010
    SALT=10

    MONGODB_USERNAME=username
    MONGODB_PASSWORD=password
    MONGODB_DATABASE=dbstore
    MONGODB_URL=databaseurl

    ORIGIN=

    SMTP_SERVICE=gmail
    SMTP_MAIL=Mmail.com
    SMTP_PASSWORD=password
    EMAIL_FROM=me.com

    API_KEY=a
    AUTH_DOMAIN=a
    DATABASE_URL=a
    PROJECT_ID=a
    STORAGE_BUCKET=a
    MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=a
    APP_ID=a
    MEASUREMENT_ID=a

    SERVER_ORIGIN=localhost:3010
    FRONTEND_ORIGIN=localhost:3000

    GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id.apps.googleusercontent.com
    GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
    GOOGLE_CLIENT_URI=/v1/googleOauth/google/callback

How to Run in Development

1. Database Setup (Prisma Template Only)

If you chose the TypeScript with Prisma template, you must push your schema to the MongoDB database and seed it before starting:

# Push schema to MongoDB
npm run prisma:push

# Seed the database with default roles and admin users
npm run prisma:seed

Note: The seed script creates default users (e.g. [email protected] / password123) to help you get started.

2. Start the Development Server

For local development, you can start the server using nodemon for automatic restarts:

npm run dev

Once the server is running, you can access your API at:

http://localhost:3010

or any of your specified open port.

🔐 Google OAuth Endpoint

Use the following route to initiate Google OAuth login:

http://localhost:3010/v1/googleOauth/google

This will redirect the user to sign in via their Google account.

📖 API Documentation (Prisma Template Only)

When running the Prisma template, you can view the interactive Swagger API documentation:

http://localhost:3010/api-docs

How to Run in Production

1. Build the Application:

   npm run build

2. Start the Production Server:

   npm start

   Ensure your .env values are configured for the production environment.

🚀 Deploy to Vercel (Optional)

To deploy to Vercel, simply:

1. Push your project to a GitHub repository.
2. Go to Vercel and connect your GitHub account.
3. Select the repository and follow the prompts.

Vercel will automatically detect your Node.js setup and deploy your project with minimal configuration.

Or deploy via CLI:

vercel --prod

License

MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.