NestJS API Starter Template with Authentication

Overview

This is a starter NestJS API template with built-in authentication and user management. It provides a scalable, well-structured foundation for developing secure RESTful APIs.

Features

• User Authentication (JWT-based login, signup, and email verification)
• JWT Refresh Token Mechanism (Automatic access token renewal)
• Secure Password Hashing (Using bcrypt)
• Email Verification & Password Reset (Using MailerModule)
• API Documentation (Swagger UI)
• Error Handling & Logging (Global exception filters and logging)
• Modular Structure (Easily extendable and maintainable)
• API Versioning (Supports multiple versions)

Installation & Setup

1. Create a New Project Using npx

You can quickly scaffold a new project using npx:

npx nestjs-api-starter my-app
cd my-app
npm install
npm run start:dev

This will create a new NestJS API project in the my-app directory.

2. Manual Installation

Alternatively, you can clone the repository manually:

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/nestjs-api-starter.git
cd nestjs-api-starter
npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory same as .env.example

4. Run the Application

npm run start:dev

API is now running on: http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

Auth Routes

| Method | Endpoint | Description | | ------ | ------------------------ | ----------------------------- | | POST | /auth/signup | Register a new user | | POST | /auth/login | User login, returns JWT token | | GET | /auth/verify?token=... | Verify email address | | POST | /auth/forgot-password | Send password reset email | | POST | /auth/reset-password | Reset password using token | | POST | /auth/refresh-token | Get a new access token |

User Routes

| Method | Endpoint | Description | | ------ | ---------------- | ------------------------------ | | GET | /users/profile | Get authenticated user profile |

API Documentation (Swagger UI)

Swagger documentation is available at:

http://localhost:3000/api/docs

Best Practices

• Use environment variables for sensitive data.
• Store refresh tokens securely (preferably in HTTP-only cookies).
• Use HTTPS in production.
• Rotate refresh tokens to prevent misuse.
• Enable rate limiting & security middleware.

Built With

• NestJS - Modular TypeScript framework for Node.js
• Mongoose - MongoDB Object Modeling
• JWT - JSON Web Token for authentication
• Bcrypt - Secure password hashing
• Swagger - API Documentation
• MailerModule - Email support for verification & password resets

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests to improve this starter template.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.

Happy coding!