Express Backend Template

Overview

The Express Backend Template is a boilerplate designed to streamline backend development using the Express.js framework. This template provides a clean, organized structure for middleware, database connections, models, controllers, and routes, making it ideal for developers looking to build robust and scalable server-side applications.

Features

• Modular Structure: Separation of concerns with clear directories for middleware, controllers, models, routes, and utilities.
• Database Integration: Pre-configured database connection setup for quick and easy integration.
• Custom Middleware: Includes middleware examples to handle common tasks like authentication and request validation.
• RESTful API Ready: A structured approach to creating and managing RESTful APIs.
• Git Version Control: .gitignore and Git configuration included to facilitate version control.
• Node.js Dependency Management: package.json for managing dependencies and scripts.

File Structure

expressBackendTemplate/
├── index.js                 # Main entry point of the application
├── package.json             # Project metadata and dependencies
├── package-lock.json        # Dependency lock file
├── .gitignore               # Files and directories ignored by Git
├── src/                     # Application logic
│   ├── middleware/          # Custom middleware
│   ├── database/            # Database-related code
│   ├── utils/               # Utility functions
│   ├── models/              # Database models
│   ├── controllers/         # Request handling logic
│   └── routes/              # API routes
└── node_modules/            # Installed Node.js modules

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your machine:

• Node.js (v14.x or higher)
• npm (Node Package Manager) or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/PradeepSahhu/expressBackendTemplate-NPM.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd expressBackendTemplate

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Running the Application

To start the server in development mode:

npm run dev

By default, the server runs on http://localhost:3000. You can configure the port in the index.js file.

Project Structure Explained

1. index.js

The main entry point initializes the Express app, sets up middleware, and starts the server.

2. src/

This directory contains the core logic of the application:

• middleware/: Custom middleware functions, such as request validation or authentication logic.
• database/: Handles database connectivity and queries. For instance, user.database.js manages user-related database operations.
• utils/: Utility functions like DatabaseConnection.js that manage reusable logic.
• models/: Schema definitions and models for database entities (e.g., user.models.js).
• controllers/: Functions to handle incoming requests and business logic (e.g., user.controllers.js).
• routes/: Defines the endpoints of the application, linking routes to controllers (e.g., user.routes.js).

3. package.json

This file includes:

• Project metadata (name, version, description, author).
• Dependencies required for the project.
• Scripts for running the application.

4. .gitignore

Specifies files and directories that should not be tracked by Git, such as node_modules/ and .env.

Example Workflow

Adding a New Feature

To add a new feature (e.g., managing products):

1. Define Routes: Create a new file in src/routes/ (e.g., product.routes.js):

   import express from "express";
   import {
     getAllProducts,
     createProduct,
   } from "../controllers/product.controllers.js";
   
   const router = express.Router();
   
   router.get("/products", getAllProducts);
   router.post("/products", createProduct);
   
   export default router;

2. Implement Controllers: Create a new file in src/controllers/ (e.g., product.controllers.js):

   export const getAllProducts = (req, res) => {
     // Logic to fetch products
     res.status(200).json({ message: "Products fetched successfully" });
   };
   
   export const createProduct = (req, res) => {
     // Logic to create a new product
     res.status(201).json({ message: "Product created successfully" });
   };

3. Set Up Database Model: Add a model in src/models/ (e.g., product.models.js):

   // Example: Define a Product schema using Mongoose
   import mongoose from "mongoose";
   
   const ProductSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
     name: { type: String, required: true },
     price: { type: Number, required: true },
   });
   
   export default mongoose.model("Product", ProductSchema);

4. Update Middleware (Optional): Add validation or authentication logic in src/middleware/.

5. Register Routes: Update index.js to include the new routes:

   import productRoutes from "./src/routes/product.routes.js";
   
   app.use("/api", productRoutes);

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Follow these steps to contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch:

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Add your message here"

4. Push the changes to your forked repository:

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name

5. Create a pull request.

License

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

Author

Developed by Pradeep Sahu, a 21-year-old full-stack web developer passionate about building scalable and maintainable applications.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the open-source community for tools and frameworks that made this template possible.

This README file serves as comprehensive documentation for getting started, understanding the structure, and contributing to the Express Backend Template.