Starting a new project can be a time-consuming process, especially when it comes to building the server. You might find yourself copying and pasting code from old projects, trying to remember what each piece does and customizing it for your new project. But what if you had a basic setup that you could use for all your projects, so you could focus on the specific project logic instead?
That's where my Express setup comes in. I've compiled a list of best practices and created a setup that I use for all my projects. It's available on GitHub, and all I have to do is fork the repo and I'm ready to start building my new app in just 10 seconds.
This setup includes the following features:
- Basic server setup with connection to the database
- Global error handler
- JSON and URL encoded payload parsers
- Gzip compression middleware for server responses
- CORS middleware
- Middleware for serving static files
- ESLint configuration for Node.js, with Airbnb JavaScript style guide
- Prettier configuration
- Custom logger for both HTTP messages and server's internal actions
- Git ignore config
- A development script that will restart the server when any file changes
With this Express setup, you'll save time not just on this project, but on all future projects as well. You won't have to spend time trying to remember code you wrote a year ago, or spend hours configuring packages and dependencies. You can just start coding for your project requirements right away. Plus, you'll never have to feel guilty about relying on your trusty editor of choice (khm... khm... VS Code) again!