node-starter

Simple starting point to create a Node.js API with fastify.

Includes:

• Two endpoints: / (GET + POST)
• Tests with jest
• Code style with Prettier
• Code quality with ESLint
• Logs with pino
• Environment variables wit dotenv

Test POST endpoint:

curl -X POST \
  http://localhost:3000/ \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "hello": "world"
}'

How to use

• Clone this project

git clone https://github.com/cedric25/node-api-starter.git my-api
cd my-api
nvm use
npm i

• Remove git history and create your own:

rm -rf .git
git init
git add .
git commit -m ":zap: Init project"

• Run server

npm start
or  
npm run dev  
or  
npm run dev:debug

• Run tests

npm t

Steps done to create this project

(That was before moving to TypeScript)

App

• Check your node version: LTS or Current (https://nodejs.org/) (Use fnm, nvm or n)
• Create a new folder and run npm init --yes
• npm i fastify
• Copy-paste a code sample from fastify 'Getting Started'
• Create a npm script in package.json: "start": "node server"
• Try it: npm start
• In dev, you can use nodemon to run your server

Git

• git init
• Create .gitignore (Inspiration here)

Tests

Unit

• Extract the 'app' logic of your server to src/app.js
• Create a small test (./src/utils/utils.spec.js)
• Add convenient npm script (See "test:unit" in package.json)
• Test it: npm run test:unit

Integration

Made with fastify.inject()

• Create a mocha options file: test/int/.mocharc.int.js
• Create a setup file to start the server prior to the tests: test/int/setup.ts
• Create a small test (./src/app.test.ts)
• Add convenient npm scripts (See "test:int" and "test" in package.json)
• Test it: npm run test:int

Prettier

• Install Prettier
• Create your .prettierrc file
• Add two npm scripts "prettier": "prettier src --check" and "prettier:fix": "prettier src --write"
• Test it: npm run prettier

ESLint

• Install ESLint
• Init a config file: npm init @eslint/config
• Tell ESLint about Jest: npm i eslint-plugin-jest -D and use it for test files (See overrides section in .eslintrc.cjs)
• Add two npm scripts "eslint" and "eslint:fix"
• Test it: npm run eslint

Logs (pino)

• npm i pino
• npm i pino-pretty -D
• Create the config you wish such as in src/logger.js

dotenv

• Use dotenv with the .env file to set your environment variables for your local environment.

Also worth having a look at dotenv-flow and dotenv-flow-cli if for example you need non-committed env vars in a .env.local file.