Kickstart Your Node.js Project: Express.js, TypeScript, and MongoDB Boilerplate?

Creating a robust and scalable backend is often the first step for any modern web application. To help beginners smoothly start their Express.js, TypeScript, and MongoDB projects, I have created a boilerplate that serves as a solid foundation. It is designed with a modular structure and incorporates essential tools like Joi for validation, Mongoose for database management, Prettier for code formatting, Jest for testing, jsonwebtoken for authentication, and more. This blog will walk you through the structure and features of this boilerplate, enabling you to kickstart your project and scale it effectively.

🔎 What included in this Boilerplate?

This starter is designed with scalability and developer productivity in mind. It includes:

1. TypeScript: Provides type safety and improved developer experience.
2. Mongoose: Simplifies MongoDB interactions with schema-based modeling.
3. Joi: Facilitates robust data validation.
4. Prettier: Ensures consistent code formatting.
5. Jest: Enables writing and running tests effortlessly.
6. ESLINT: Helps maintain code quality and consistency.
7. JWT: It uses JSON Web Tokens for secure authentication.

📚 Folder Structure

The boilerplate follows a modular and organized folder structure:

|-api
|--auth
|---__test__
|----auth.controller.test.ts
|---validations
|----auth.validation.ts
|---auth.controller.ts
|---auth.routes.ts
|---auth.service.ts
|--user
|---__test__
|----user.controller.test.ts
|---validations
|---user.controller.ts
|---user.routes.ts
|---user.service.ts
|--api.routers.ts
|-config
|--database.ts
|-middleware
|--auth.middleware.ts
|--error.middleware.ts
|--validation.middleware.ts
|-utils
|--hash.util.ts
|--http.exception.ts
|--response.util.ts
|-index.ts

🔄 Explanation of Key Directories

api

This directory contains modularized features of the application (e.g., auth, user). Each feature includes its routes, controller, service, and validations, tests promoting separation of concerns.

• auth: Handles authentication-related logic like login, registration, and JWT token management.

  • auth.controller.ts: Defines endpoints.
  • auth.service.ts: Implements business logic.
  • auth.routes.ts: Maps routes to controllers.
  • auth.validation.ts: Defines request validation schemas.

• user: Manages user-related operations like fetching user data and updating profiles.

  • Similar structure to auth.

config

Contains application configuration files.

• database.ts: Configures MongoDB connection using Mongoose.

middleware

Custom middleware to handle common tasks.

• auth.middleware.ts: Handles JWT authentication.
• error.middleware.ts: Catches and formats errors.
• validation.middleware.ts: Validates incoming requests using Joi.

utils

Utility functions and reusable modules.

• hash.util.ts: Handles password hashing using libraries like bcrypt.
• http.exception.ts: Custom error handling class.
• response.util.ts: Standardizes API responses.

Root Files

• index.ts: Entry point of the application. Sets up middleware, routes, and starts the server.
• api.routers.ts: Centralized routing for all API modules.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v16 or later recommended)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/rawbinn/Express.js-TypeScript-MongoDB-Starter.git
   cd express-typescript-mongodb-starter
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   # or
   yarn install
   

3. Create a .env file in the root directory and add your configuration:

   PORT=3000
   MONGO_PATH=mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database-name
   

4. Start the development server:

   npm run dev
   # or
   yarn dev
   

Environment

To edit environment variables, create a file with name .env and copy the contents from .env.sample to start with.