ExpressJS Backend Boilerplate

A ready-to-use Express.js boilerplate for fast API development, with essential configurations for security, environment variables, and database integration.

Features

• Express.js: Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework
• Security Measures:
  • Secure cookies
  • Helmet security headers
  • XSS protection
  • CORS configuration
• Authentication: Token-based authentication with encrypted payloads
• Request Validation: Using express-validator
• Middleware:
  • CORS
  • URL Parser
  • Cookie Parser
  • Authentication
  • Security headers
  • Role-based access control
• Environment Configuration: Development
• API Response Format: Standardized API response format

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+)
• Node Package Manager (NPM)
• MongoDB

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/zyin-jessie/express-boilerplate.git

   cd express-boilerplate

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Configure environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration values

Environment Variables

Create a .env file for development variables:

PORT=                   # Application port
DATABASE_URI=           # Your database connection string
FRONTEND_URL=           # Your frontend URL

Project Structure

├── public/                    # Static assets
├── src/    
│   ├── config/                # Application configuration files
│   │   └── dbConnection.js    # MongoDB connection setup
│   ├── controllers/           # Handlers for HTTP requests
│   ├── lib/                   # Core helper libraries
│   │   ├── bcrypt.js          # Password hashing functions
│   │   └── swagger.js         # Swagger API documentation
│   ├── middleware/            # Express middleware functions
│   │   ├── verifyAuthToken.js # Middleware for verifying JWT tokens
│   │   ├── cors.ts            # CORS configuration
│   ├── models/                # Database models
│   ├── routes/                # Route definitions
│   ├── utils/                 # Utility functions
│   ├── index.ts               # Server entry point
├── .env                       # Development environment variables
├── .env.example               # Example environment variables
├── .gitignore                 # Git ignore file (e.g., node_modules, .env)
├── .prettierignore            # Files to ignore for Prettier formatting
├── .prettierrc.json           # Prettier configuration file
├── .package-lock.json         # Lock file to track exact package versions
├── .package.json              # Project's package metadata and dependencies
└── README.md                  # Project overview and setup instructions

Usage

Development

npm run dev

This starts the development server with hot-reload using nodemon.

Production

npm run start

This runs the code for production, applies necessary optimizations, and minifies the code for better performance.

License

Author

zyin-jessie