Node.js Basics Exploration: A Hands-On API Project

This repository contains a hands-on project built primarily to explore the fundamentals of Node.js. Avoiding common frameworks, it leverages native Node.js APIs like createServer to construct a RESTful API.

The project implements core functionalities including user authentication and task management, demonstrating practical application of various essential Node.js libraries:

• Database: SQLite (sqlite3) is used for data persistence, providing a simple and file-based database solution.
• Configuration: Environment variables are managed using dotenv for secure and flexible configuration.
• User Authentication: JSON Web Tokens (jsonwebtoken) are employed for secure user authentication, with bcrypt used for password hashing.
• Logging: pino is integrated for structured and efficient logging of application events.
• Validation: zod is used to provide TypeScript-first schema declaration and validation.
• API Exploration: Swagger UI (swagger-ui-dist) is included to provide an interactive API playground for easy testing and documentation.
• Testing: supertest and jest empowered tests.

The codebase follows a layered architecture, separating concerns into distinct directories:

• Controllers: Handle incoming HTTP requests and orchestrate the application logic.
• Middlewares: Implement cross-cutting concerns like authentication and request processing.
• Repositories: Abstract data access logic for interacting with the SQLite database.
• Routes: Define the API endpoints and map them to controller actions.
• Services: Contain business logic and orchestrate interactions between repositories and other layers.
• Utils: Provide utility functions for various tasks.
• Entities: Define the data structures used throughout the application.
• Schemas: Define the validation schemas.

The API exposes three main resource groups:

• SharedTask: Represents tasks that can be shared between users.
• Task: Manages individual tasks, allowing users to create, read, update, and delete their own tasks.
• Users: Handles user registration and authentication.

This application includes a Dockerfile for containerization, allowing for easy setup and execution within a Docker environment.

This project serves as a practical learning exercise, showcasing how to build a functional API using core Node.js features and a selection of fundamental libraries, while adhering to a well-organized architectural pattern.

The project intentionally utilizes the callback pattern for asynchronous operations to gain a fundamental understanding of Node.js's non-blocking nature. By directly engaging with callbacks, we aim to appreciate the core mechanisms of asynchronous JavaScript. This hands-on approach provides a deeper insight into the challenges and evolution of asynchronous programming in Node.js.

Getting started

Local

npm install

npm run watch

Docker

docker build -t nodejs-todos .

docker run -p 3000:3000 nodejs-todos:latest

After server started open /swagger-ui