Nodejs Express Server

Node.js Express Server

Table of Contents

• Overview
• When to Use
• Quick Start
• Reference Guides
• Best Practices

Overview

Create robust Express.js applications with proper routing, middleware chains, authentication mechanisms, and database integration following industry best practices.

When to Use

• Building REST APIs with Node.js
• Implementing server-side request handling
• Creating middleware chains for cross-cutting concerns
• Managing authentication and authorization
• Connecting to databases from Node.js
• Implementing error handling and logging

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

const express = require("express");
const app = express();
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

// Middleware
app.use(express.json());
app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

// Routes
app.get("/health", (req, res) => {
  res.json({ status: "OK", timestamp: new Date().toISOString() });
});

// Error handling
app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
  console.error(err.stack);
  res.status(err.status || 500).json({
    error: err.message,
    requestId: req.id,
  });
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

Reference Guides

Detailed implementations in the references/ directory:

Best Practices

✅ DO

• Use middleware for cross-cutting concerns
• Implement proper error handling
• Validate input data before processing
• Use async/await for async operations
• Implement authentication on protected routes
• Use environment variables for configuration
• Add logging and monitoring
• Use HTTPS in production
• Implement rate limiting
• Keep route handlers focused and small

❌ DON'T

• Handle errors silently
• Store sensitive data in code
• Use synchronous operations in routes
• Forget to validate user input
• Implement authentication in route handlers
• Use callback hell (use promises/async-await)
• Expose stack traces in production
• Trust client-side validation only

Authentication with JWT

Authentication with JWT

const jwt = require("jsonwebtoken");
const bcrypt = require("bcrypt");

const generateToken = (userId) => {
  return jwt.sign(
    { userId, iat: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) },
    process.env.JWT_SECRET,
    { expiresIn: "24h" },
  );
};

app.post(
  "/login",
  asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
    const { email, password } = req.body;
    const user = await User.findOne({ where: { email } });

    if (!user) return res.status(404).json({ error: "User not found" });

    const validPassword = await bcrypt.compare(password, user.password);
    if (!validPassword)
      return res.status(401).json({ error: "Invalid password" });

    const token = generateToken(user.id);
    res.json({ token, user: { id: user.id, email: user.email } });
  }),
);

Basic Express Setup

Basic Express Setup

const express = require("express");
const app = express();
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

// Middleware
app.use(express.json());
app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

// Routes
app.get("/health", (req, res) => {
  res.json({ status: "OK", timestamp: new Date().toISOString() });
});

// Error handling
app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
  console.error(err.stack);
  res.status(err.status || 500).json({
    error: err.message,
    requestId: req.id,
  });
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

Database Integration (PostgreSQL with Sequelize)

Database Integration (PostgreSQL with Sequelize)

const { Sequelize, DataTypes } = require("sequelize");

const sequelize = new Sequelize(
  process.env.DB_NAME,
  process.env.DB_USER,
  process.env.DB_PASS,
  {
    host: process.env.DB_HOST,
    dialect: "postgres",
    logging: false,
  },
);

const User = sequelize.define(
  "User",
  {
    id: {
      type: DataTypes.UUID,
      defaultValue: DataTypes.UUIDV4,
      primaryKey: true,
    },
    email: {
      type: DataTypes.STRING,
      unique: true,
      allowNull: false,
    },
    password: DataTypes.STRING,
    role: {
      type: DataTypes.ENUM("user", "admin"),
      defaultValue: "user",
    },
  },
  {
    timestamps: true,
  },
);

// Sync database
sequelize.sync({ alter: true });

Environment Configuration

Environment Configuration

require("dotenv").config();

const config = {
  port: process.env.PORT || 3000,
  env: process.env.NODE_ENV || "development",
  database: {
    url: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
    dialect: "postgres",
  },
  jwt: {
    secret: process.env.JWT_SECRET,
    expiresIn: "24h",
  },
  cors: {
    origin: process.env.CORS_ORIGIN || "http://localhost:3000",
  },
};

module.exports = config;

Error Handling Middleware

Error Handling Middleware

class AppError extends Error {
  constructor(message, statusCode) {
    super(message);
    this.statusCode = statusCode;
    Error.captureStackTrace(this, this.constructor);
  }
}

app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
  err.statusCode = err.statusCode || 500;

  if (err.name === "SequelizeValidationError") {
    return res.status(400).json({
      error: "Validation failed",
      details: err.errors.map((e) => ({ field: e.path, message: e.message })),
    });
  }

  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production") {
    return res.status(err.statusCode).json({
      error: err.message,
      requestId: req.id,
    });
  }

  res.status(err.statusCode).json({
    error: err.message,
    stack: err.stack,
  });
});

app.use((req, res) => {
  res.status(404).json({ error: "Route not found" });
});

Middleware Chain Implementation

Middleware Chain Implementation

// Logging middleware
const logger = (req, res, next) => {
  const start = Date.now();
  res.on("finish", () => {
    const duration = Date.now() - start;
    console.log(`${req.method} ${req.path} ${res.statusCode} ${duration}ms`);
  });
  next();
};

// Authentication middleware
const authenticateToken = (req, res, next) => {
  const token = req.headers["authorization"]?.split(" ")[1];
  if (!token) return res.status(401).json({ error: "No token" });

  jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET, (err, user) => {
    if (err) return res.status(403).json({ error: "Invalid token" });
    req.user = user;
    next();
  });
};

// Error catching middleware wrapper
const asyncHandler = (fn) => (req, res, next) => {
  Promise.resolve(fn(req, res, next)).catch(next);
};

app.use(logger);
app.use(express.json());
app.get("/protected", authenticateToken, (req, res) => {
  res.json({ user: req.user });
});

RESTful Routes with CRUD Operations

RESTful Routes with CRUD Operations

const userRouter = express.Router();

// GET all users (with pagination)
userRouter.get(
  "/",
  authenticateToken,
  asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
    const { page = 1, limit = 20 } = req.query;
    const users = await User.findAndCountAll({
      offset: (page - 1) * limit,
      limit: parseInt(limit),
    });

    res.json({
      data: users.rows,
      pagination: { page, limit, total: users.count },
    });
  }),
);

// GET single user
userRouter.get(
  "/:id",
  authenticateToken,
  asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
    const user = await User.findByPk(req.params.id);
    if (!user) return res.status(404).json({ error: "Not found" });
    res.json({ data: user });
  }),
);

// POST create user
userRouter.post(
  "/",
  asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
    const { email, password } = req.body;
    const hashedPassword = await bcrypt.hash(password, 10);

    const user = await User.create({
      email,
      password: hashedPassword,
    });

    res.status(201).json({ data: user });
  }),
);

// PATCH update user
userRouter.patch(
  "/:id",
  authenticateToken,
  asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
    const user = await User.findByPk(req.params.id);
    if (!user) return res.status(404).json({ error: "Not found" });

    await user.update(req.body, {
      fields: ["email", "role"],
    });

    res.json({ data: user });
  }),
);

// DELETE user
userRouter.delete(
  "/:id",
  authenticateToken,
  asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
    const user = await User.findByPk(req.params.id);
    if (!user) return res.status(404).json({ error: "Not found" });

    await user.destroy();
    res.status(204).send();
  }),
);

app.use("/api/users", userRouter);