Node.js Express RESTful API

A sample Node.js Express application demonstrating RESTful API design with proper project structure, controllers, services, and models.

🚀 Features

• RESTful API Design - Follows REST principles
• Modular Architecture - Controllers, Services, Models separation
• Input Validation - Request validation middleware
• Error Handling - Comprehensive error handling
• Security - Helmet for security headers
• Logging - Morgan for HTTP request logging
• CORS Support - Cross-origin resource sharing enabled

📁 Project Structure

nodejs-api/
├── src/
│   ├── controllers/          # Request handlers
│   │   ├── userController.js
│   │   └── productController.js
│   ├── services/            # Business logic
│   │   ├── userService.js
│   │   └── productService.js
│   ├── models/              # Data models
│   │   ├── User.js
│   │   └── Product.js
│   ├── routes/              # API routes
│   │   ├── userRoutes.js
│   │   └── productRoutes.js
│   ├── middleware/          # Custom middleware
│   │   └── validation.js
│   └── server.js            # Main server file
├── package.json
└── README.md

🛠️ Installation

1. Clone or navigate to the project directory

   cd nodejs-api

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Start the server

   # Development mode (with auto-restart)
   npm run dev
   
   # Production mode
   npm start

📡 API Endpoints

Health Check

• GET /health - Server health status

Users API

• GET /api/users - Get all users
  • Query params: search, role
• GET /api/users/:id - Get user by ID
• POST /api/users - Create new user
• PUT /api/users/:id - Update user
• DELETE /api/users/:id - Delete user

Products API

• GET /api/products - Get all products
  • Query params: search, category, inStock, minPrice, maxPrice
• GET /api/products/:id - Get product by ID
• POST /api/products - Create new product
• PUT /api/products/:id - Update product
• DELETE /api/products/:id - Delete product
• PATCH /api/products/:id/stock - Update product stock

📝 API Examples

Create a User

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "age": 30,
    "role": "user"
  }'

Create a Product

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/products \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Laptop",
    "description": "High-performance laptop",
    "price": 999.99,
    "category": "Electronics",
    "stock": 10
  }'

Search Products

curl "http://localhost:3000/api/products?search=laptop&inStock=true"

Update Product Stock

curl -X PATCH http://localhost:3000/api/products/1/stock \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"quantity": -2}'

🔧 Configuration

The server runs on port 3000 by default. You can change this by setting the PORT environment variable:

PORT=8080 npm start

🏗️ Architecture

Controllers

• Handle HTTP requests and responses
• Validate input data
• Call appropriate services
• Return formatted responses

Services

• Contain business logic
• Handle data operations
• Perform validations
• Manage data state

Models

• Define data structure
• Provide data manipulation methods
• Handle data validation
• Convert to/from JSON

Routes

• Define API endpoints
• Map URLs to controllers
• Apply middleware
• Handle route parameters

🛡️ Security Features

• Helmet - Sets security headers
• CORS - Configurable cross-origin requests
• Input Validation - Request data validation
• Error Handling - Secure error responses

📊 Sample Data

The application comes with sample data:

Users

• John Doe (admin)
• Jane Smith (user)
• Bob Johnson (user)

Products

• Laptop (Electronics)
• Smartphone (Electronics)
• Coffee Mug (Accessories)
• Wireless Headphones (Electronics)
• Desk Lamp (Furniture)

🚀 Getting Started

1. Start the server: npm run dev
2. Visit: http://localhost:3000/health
3. Test the APIs using the examples above
4. Explore the code structure to understand the patterns

📚 Learning Points

This project demonstrates:

• RESTful API design
• MVC architecture pattern
• Separation of concerns
• Error handling strategies
• Input validation
• Express.js best practices
• Node.js project structure