/generic-nodejs-express-api

Boilerplate project that provides a basic setup for building RESTful APIs using Node.js and Express. It includes several utilities and configurations to help you get started quickly. Additionally, this project runs both a frontend and an API server.

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Generic Node.js Express API

Welcome to the Generic Node.js Express API repository! This repository contains the code and documentation for a generic Express API built using Node.js, as well as a frontend server.

Quick Start

Tip

Create a project from scratch

npx generic-nodejs-express-api my-awesome-api-project

Tip

Add it to an existing project

npm i generic-nodejs-express-api

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Generic Node.js Express API is a template project that provides a basic setup for building RESTful APIs using Node.js and Express. It includes several utilities and configurations to help you get started quickly. Additionally, this project runs both a frontend and an API server. The frontend is accessible at localhost, and the API is available at api.localhost.

Front End API
frontend api
localhost api.localhost
dmeo frontend demo api

Installation

NPX

RUn it as an NPX

npx generic-nodejs-express-api my-awesome-api-project

To set up the Generic Node.js Express API, follow these steps:

  1. Clone this repository to your local machine: 
    git clone git@github.com:npm-packages-collection/generic-nodejs-express-api.git
  2. Navigate into the project directory: 
    cd generic-nodejs-express-api
  3. Install the required dependencies: 
    npm install
  4. (Optional) Set up HTTPS certificates: 
    sudo npm run certs

Usage

To start the API server, use one of the following commands depending on your environment:

  • Development:

    npm run dev

  • Production:

    npm run start

You can also run the server with HTTPS enabled:

  • Development with HTTPS:

    npm run dev:https

  • Production with HTTPS:

    npm run prod:https

Development

Scripts

  • Reset dependencies:

    npm run reset

    This command removes node_modules and package-lock.json and reinstalls dependencies.

  • Generate certificates:

    sudo npm run certs

    This command will:

    1. Create a certs directory (if it doesn't already exist).
    2. Generate a self-signed SSL certificate (selfsigned.crt) and private key (selfsigned.key) in the certs directory for HTTPS development.
    3. Set appropriate permissions for the generated files.
    4. Base64-encode the certificate and key and store them as environment variables (APP_CRT and APP_KEY) in the .env file.
    5. Set the application port (APP_PORT=3000) in the .env file.
    6. Clean up by removing the certs directory after the environment variables have been set.

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory and add your environment-specific variables, such as API keys and database URLs.

Testing

The project uses Mocha and Chai for testing. To run tests, use:

npm test

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have any ideas, suggestions, or bug reports, please open an issue or submit a pull request. Ensure that you follow the project's contribution guidelines.

License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory and add your environment-specific variables, such as API keys and database URLs.

Testing

The project uses Mocha and Chai for testing. To run tests, use:

npm test

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have any ideas, suggestions, or bug reports, please open an issue or submit a pull request. Ensure that you follow the project's contribution guidelines.

License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.