Node.js Service Template

Modern Express starter for small REST-style services. This template wires up sensible defaults for configuration, logging, routing, and CORS so you can focus on business logic.

Features

• Opinionated Express bootstrap with JSON + URL-encoded parsers.
• Centralised environment management via dotenv.
• Versioned routing scaffold with sample Health and Hello World endpoints.
• ISO-8601 console logger that supports environment-aware debug logging.
• Ready-to-use CORS configuration with allow-list support.

Tech Stack

• Node.js (ES Modules) with Express.
• cors for cross-origin control.
• dotenv for environment variables.
• nodemon for live-reload during development.

Directory Layout

app.js                Express app factory (body parsing, base middleware)
server.js             Entry point; loads env, CORS, routes, and graceful shutdown
configs/env.js        Environment variable parsing and defaults
routes/               REST endpoints grouped by feature (health, sample)
utils/logger.js       Timestamped structured console logging helper
common/, modules/, services/  Reserved folders for shared logic and business features
public/               Static assets (optional)

Requirements

• Node.js 20 LTS (18+ compatible) and npm.

Getting Started

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Configure environment variables (see below).
3. Launch the service:

   # Development (auto-reload)
   npm run dev
   
   # Production-style startup
   npm start

   The server binds to PORT and mounts all routes beneath /api/v0.1/*.

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root. The template understands the following keys:

Variable	Purpose	Default
PORT	HTTP port the server listens on	3000
NODE_ENV	Runtime environment (development / production / etc.)	development
CORS_ORIGINS	Comma-separated list of allowed origins	http://localhost
BRAND_NAME	Optional branding reference used in logs	SmartBiz AI Labs

Example:

PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development
CORS_ORIGINS=https://example.com,http://localhost:4200
BRAND_NAME=SmartBiz AI Labs

API Endpoints

Area	Method & Path	Description
Health	GET /api/v0.1/health	Returns { "status": "ok" } for uptime monitoring.
Sample	GET /api/v0.1/sample	Demonstrates logging and JSON responses.

Add new endpoints in routes/ and mount them inside routes/index.js under the desired version prefix.

Logging

• utils/logger.js decorates console output with ISO timestamps and log levels.
• logger.debug only emits in NODE_ENV=development.
• Update log formatting or sinks in one place to affect the whole service.

Package Scripts

• npm start – Run the service with Node.
• npm run dev – Run with Nodemon for auto-reloads.

Deployment Notes

• Provide production .env values via your hosting platform.
• Ensure only trusted origins appear in CORS_ORIGINS.
• Use a process manager (PM2, systemd, container orchestrator) to restart on failure; graceful shutdown hooks are already in place.

Next Steps

• Add request validation, authentication, and persistence layers in modules/ or services/.
• Expand the API documentation as new routes are added.
• Wire in automated tests (Jest, Supertest) to guard critical endpoints.

License

This project is released under the terms of the license in license.txt.