Course Content
Node.js Express: API & CLI Apps
Node.js Express: API & CLI Apps
Project Structure
In this chapter, we'll take a closer look at the project's structure. Maintaining a well-organized structure becomes crucial as we build the entire application. Below, we'll outline the key directories and files we'll encounter in our project:
Project Initial Files
You can access the initial project files and folders on Github If you're new to GitHub, follow the simple two-step process illustrated below to download the project.
Project Structure Overview
Let's explore the purpose of each directory and file. The image below provides a visual representation of the project's structure:
Now, let's delve into the purpose of each directory and file:
- index.js: This serves as the application's main entry point. Within this file, we set up the Express server, configure middleware, define routes, and initiate the server;
- Initialization of the Express application;
- Configuration of middleware, such as
express.json()
, for JSON request parsing; - Route definition and error-handling middleware;
- Starting the Express server on a specified port (e.g.,
3000
).
- routes/: This directory contains route definitions for various API endpoints. Organizing routes into separate modules helps keep the codebase clean;
- Creating distinct route files for different functionalities (e.g., user management, tweets, posts, authentication);
- Organization and modularization of route handling code.
- routes/postsRoutes.js: Specifically handling routes related to posts (tweets) within the application;
- Definition of routes for creating, retrieving, updating, and deleting posts (tweets);
- Management of interactions with the
posts.json
data file.
- middlewares/: Middleware functions stored in this directory are essential for various tasks like validation, authentication, and authorization. They promote code reusability;
- Segregation of middleware functions into individual modules;
- Use of middleware for tasks such as data validation, user authentication, and error handling.
- middlewares/validateData.js: This middleware function focuses on data validation within incoming requests. It ensures that the submitted data meets the required criteria;
- Examination of incoming data for correctness before processing;
- Appropriate error responses in cases of invalid or missing data.
- database/: This directory houses the data storage for the application;
- database/posts.json: In this file, we store our data - in our case, posts - in JSON format;
- node_modules/: Automatically generated when we run
npm i express
, this directory contains all the external libraries and modules utilized in the project; - package.json and package-lock.json: These files list all the packages upon which the project depends.
Thanks for your feedback!