Express with TypeScript Standard Template

Overview

This project is a backend API application template built with Node.js, Express.js, and TypeScript. It provides a structured foundation for developing robust and maintainable APIs with TypeScript's type-safety and Express's powerful routing capabilities.

Features

• TypeScript: Leverages TypeScript for type-safety and modern JavaScript features.
• Express: Utilizes Express for building scalable and efficient APIs.
• Environment Configuration: Manages environment variables using dotenv.
• ESLint: Ensures code quality and consistency.
• Prettier: Formats code for readability and style consistency.
• Nodemon: Enables automatic server restarts during development.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (>= 14.x)
• npm (>= 6.x) or yarn (>= 1.x)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/express-typescript-template.git
   cd express-typescript-template

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   # or
   yarn install

3. Create a .env file:

   cp .env.example .env

4. Set environment variables in the .env file:

   PORT=3000

Running the Application

Development

To start the application in development mode with automatic restarts using Nodemon:

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev

The server will start on the port specified in the .env file (default: 3000).

Production

To build and start the application in production mode:

npm run build
npm start
# or
yarn build
yarn start

Linting and Formatting

To lint the code using ESLint:

npm run lint
# or
yarn lint

To format the code using Prettier:

npm run format
# or
yarn format

Project Structure

├── src
│   ├── controllers      # Define your controllers here
│   ├── middlewares      # Define custom middlewares here
│   ├── routes           # Define the application routes here
│   ├── services         # Define your services here
│   ├── utils            # Utility functions
│   ├── index.ts         # Entry point of the application
├── tests                # Test files
├── .env.example         # Example environment variables file
├── .eslintrc.js         # ESLint configuration
├── .prettierrc          # Prettier configuration
├── jest.config.js       # Jest configuration
├── tsconfig.json        # TypeScript configuration
├── package.json         # Project dependencies and scripts
└── README.md            # Project documentation

Usage Guide

Step-by-Step Guide to Customizing the Template

1. Fork the repository:

   • Navigate to the repository on GitHub and fork it to your own account.

2. Clone your forked repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/express-typescript-template.git
   cd express-typescript-template

3. Change the project name:

   • Update package.json with your project name and description:

     {
       "name": "your-project-name",
       "version": "1.0.0",
       "description": "Your project description",
       ...
     }

4. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   # or
   yarn install

5. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env file by copying the example:

     cp .env.example .env

   • Edit the .env file with your configuration:

     PORT=3000

6. Run the application in development mode:

   npm run dev
   # or
   yarn dev

7. Build and run the application in production mode:

   npm run build
   npm start
   # or
   yarn build
   yarn start

Adding New Features

1. Add a new route:

   • Create a new file in src/routes (e.g., example.route.ts):

     import { Router } from "express";
     import { exampleController } from "../controllers/example.controller";
     
     const router = Router();
     
     router.get("/example", exampleController);
     
     export default router;

   • Register the new route in src/index.ts:

     import express from "express";
     import exampleRoute from "./routes/example.route";
     
     const app = express();
     const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
     
     app.use(express.json());
     
     app.use("/api", exampleRoute);
     
     app.listen(port, () => {
       console.log(`Server is running on port ${port}`);
     });

2. Add a new controller:

   • Create a new file in src/controllers (e.g., example.controller.ts):

     import { Request, Response } from "express";
     
     export const exampleController = (req: Request, res: Response): void => {
       res.json({ message: "Hello from the example controller!" });
     };

3. Add a new service:

   • Create a new file in src/services (e.g., example.service.ts):

     export const exampleService = (): string => {
       return "This is a message from the example service!";
     };

   • Use the service in the controller:

     import { Request, Response } from "express";
     import { exampleService } from "../services/example.service";
     
     export const exampleController = (req: Request, res: Response): void => {
       const message = exampleService();
       res.json({ message });
     };

Contributing

If you would like to contribute to this project, please follow the guidelines in CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

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

Contact

For questions or discussions, please open an issue in the repository.

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Happy coding! 🚀