Node.js Express Prisma Starter Template

A comprehensive, production-ready Node.js backend starter template built with Express.js, PostgreSQL, Prisma ORM, TypeScript, and modern development practices.

🚀 Features

• 🔧 Modern Stack: Node.js, Express.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Prisma ORM
• 🔐 Authentication: JWT-based authentication with refresh tokens
• 👥 User Management: Complete user CRUD with role-based access control
• 📁 File Upload: Cloudinary integration for media management
• 📧 Email Service: Nodemailer integration for email functionality
• 🛡️ Security: Helmet, CORS, rate limiting, input validation
• 📊 Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM for type-safe operations
• 🧪 Testing: Jest setup with coverage reporting
• 📝 Code Quality: ESLint, Prettier, Husky for code standards
• 🐳 Docker: Complete Docker setup with docker-compose
• 📚 Documentation: Comprehensive documentation and API reference
• 🔄 CI/CD Ready: GitHub Actions workflow templates

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• npm or yarn package manager
• PostgreSQL database
• Git

⚡ Quick Start

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <your-repository-url>
cd nodejs-express-prisma-starter

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Environment Setup

# Copy environment template
cp env.example .env

# Edit .env with your configuration
nano .env

4. Database Setup

# Generate Prisma client
npm run db:generate

# Run database migrations
npm run migrate

# (Optional) Seed the database
npm run db:seed

5. Start Development Server

npm run dev

Your server will be running at http://localhost:5000

🛠️ Available Scripts

Development

• npm run dev - Start development server with hot reload
• npm run build - Build the project for production
• npm run start - Start production server

Database

• npm run migrate - Run database migrations
• npm run migrate:deploy - Deploy migrations to production
• npm run migrate:reset - Reset database
• npm run db:studio - Open Prisma Studio
• npm run db:generate - Generate Prisma client
• npm run db:seed - Seed database with sample data

Code Quality

• npm run lint - Run ESLint
• npm run lint:fix - Fix ESLint errors
• npm run format - Format code with Prettier
• npm run type-check - Run TypeScript type checking

Testing

• npm test - Run tests
• npm run test:watch - Run tests in watch mode
• npm run test:coverage - Run tests with coverage

Docker

• npm run docker:build - Build Docker image
• npm run docker:run - Run Docker container
• npm run docker:compose - Start with docker-compose

📁 Project Structure

src/
├── controllers/         # Request handlers
├── services/           # Business logic
├── models/             # Data models
├── middleware/         # Express middleware
├── utils/              # Utility functions
├── types/              # TypeScript type definitions
├── constants/          # Application constants
├── validators/         # Request validation schemas
├── database/           # Database configuration
├── routes/             # Route definitions
├── config/             # Configuration files
├── scripts/            # Utility scripts
├── templates/          # Email templates
├── tests/              # Test files
├── app.ts              # Express app configuration
└── server.ts           # Server entry point

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

See env.example for all available environment variables:

• Database: PostgreSQL connection string
• JWT: Authentication secrets and expiration times
• Email: SMTP configuration for email sending
• Cloudinary: File upload and storage
• Security: CORS, rate limiting, and other security settings

Database Schema

The template includes the following models:

• User: User authentication and profile management
• Media: File upload and metadata storage

🚀 Deployment

Docker Deployment

# Build and start with docker-compose
npm run docker:compose

# Or build and run manually
npm run docker:build
npm run docker:run

Manual Deployment

1. Build the application:

   npm run build

2. Set up production environment:

   cp env.example .env
   # Configure production environment variables

3. Run database migrations:

   npm run migrate:deploy

4. Start the application:

   npm start

📚 Documentation

Comprehensive documentation is available in the DOCS/ directory:

• Quick Start Guide - Get started in 5 minutes
• API Documentation - Complete API reference
• Project Structure - Detailed project organization
• Deployment Guide - Production deployment
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

🔍 Code Quality

The project includes:

• ESLint for code linting
• Prettier for code formatting
• Husky for git hooks
• lint-staged for pre-commit checks

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

See Contributing Guide for detailed information.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🆘 Support

• Documentation: Check the DOCS/ directory
• Issues: Create an issue on GitHub
• Discussions: Use GitHub Discussions for questions

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Express.js - Web framework
• Prisma - Database ORM
• TypeScript - Type safety
• PostgreSQL - Database

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Happy Coding! 🎉