/rjs2

A MExN stack web server that can host content or service API requests

Primary LanguageJavaScript

rjs2

A complete redesign of RJS, a server package meant to run a MExN web stack. It comes fully equipped to run as either a Web Server or a RESTful API server, giving you the freedom to customize it to your needs.

Current Version: v1.1.4

Last Updated: 2020-10-12

Table of Contents

Quick Start

When acquired, the server needs to be setup with prerequesite libraries and configurations. To do this, you can follow this sequence of steps:

Install Prerequesites

  1. Install NodeJS and NPM (NPM usually comes with NodeJS)
  2. Enter the server project's directory (e.g. rjs2/)
  3. Run npm install (or npm i for newer NPM systems) to install NPM Packages and Database Drivers
  4. (Optional) Install your desired database(s) and corresponding drivers

    MongoDB and MySQL drivers for NodeJS were included in npm install, but feel free to add others as desired

  5. (Optional) Setup/Configure your database(s) as desired

Setup and Configuration

  1. Basic Setup Routine
    1. Enter the rjs2/util/tools/setup/ directory
    2. Run node setup.js -A (You may read its documentation for more details)
  2. (Optional) Configuration for Secure Mode (HTTPS/SSL) operation
    1. Enter the rjs2/util/tools/config/ directory
    2. Run node config.js -A and follow the prompts (You may read its documentation for more details)

Once setup is complete, the server package will have all resources it needs to run in insecure mode (i.e. without HTTPS/SSL). To enable the server to run in securely, you must obtain CA certificates and any other required SSL/PKI files from a valid Certificate Authority, then complete configuration by performing the optional steps above.

Start the Server

You can start the server by running rjs2/server.js with NodeJS on the command line. By default, the server is set to run in secure mode using HTTPS/SSL, but will not operate in this mode without proper configuration (see the previous section) and CA certification, which must be obtained separately from a Certificate Authority.

Assuming you are in the rjs2/ directory, below are some short-hand conventions to run the server in different contexts:

  • Run in Secure Mode (Default)
    • node server.js
  • Run in Insecure Mode
    • node server.js -i
  • Run with Verbose Logging (i.e. enables console output)
    • node server.js -v
  • Run in a Custom Port
    • node server.js -p [some port number here...]

Run node server.js -h for more details.

Dependencies

  • Body-Parser v1.19.0+
  • Chai v4.2.0+
  • EJS v2.7.1+
  • ExpressJS v4.17.1+
  • Minimist v1.2.0+
  • Mocha v6.2.2+
  • MongoDB NodeJS Driver v3.3.3+
  • MySQL NodeJS Driver v2.17.1+
  • NodeJS v8.9.1+
  • Sinon v7.5.0+

Frequently Asked Questions

How To

  • ...change the default log file storage directory?
    • Open rjs2/util/settings.js
    • Change this.logdir to a path you prefer
  • ...change the default port?
    • Open rjs2/util/settings.js
    • Change this.port to any port number you desire
  • ...log stuff to console?
    • You can use the native JavaScript console.log() function to log to the console window, but it is recommended to use the Logger.log() function from class Logger instead, since this class has the added functionality of storing console outputs to the server log files. This class is accessible within your server backend code (or APIs) by:
      • ...requiring _lib.js and accessing it indirectly (e.g. var logger = require('...path to rjs2/util/...' + '_lib.js' ).Logger), or by
      • ...directly including it using its full path (e.g. var logger = require( '...path to rjs/util/...' + 'logger.js' )).
    • You can read more about class Logger by reading the source-code documentation in the rjs2/util/logger.js file

General Questions

  • If I don't run the server with Verbose Logging turned on, will the server still record console output?

    • Yes, as long as you use class Logger to output to console using _lib.Logger.log("..."). This class is accessible within your server backend code (or APIs) by:

      • ...requiring _lib.js and accessing it indirectly (e.g. var logger = require('...path to rjs2/util/...' + '_lib.js' ).Logger), or by
      • ...directly including it using its full path (e.g. var logger = require( '...path to rjs/util/...' + 'logger.js' )).

    • By using _lib.Logger.log() to log to console, console output may still be stored in log files under the log directory (default is rjs2/log; to customize, see the previous section).

Release Notes

  • Currently supports Linux and Windows. Plans for MacOS support are being developed.
  • 2020-01-20
    • Currently improving various documentation and utilities within the server
  • 2020-01-19
    • (DONE) Providing initial setup and support for Windows deployments
  • 2019-12-10
    • (DONE) Redesigning the static content and API sub-application loading system for rjs2
  • 2019-11-27
    • (DONE) Creating/Documenting util/tools/config/config.js, which will allow user prompting for creation of security.js, as well as future configuration files.