santiq/bulletproof-nodejs

★ 5,756TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Bulletproof Node.js))
    What it does
      API starter template
      Scalable folder structure
      User management example
    Tech stack
      TypeScript and Express
      MongoDB and Mongoose
      Celebrate and Joi validation
    Features
      Auth and CRUD
      Structured logging
      CircleCI CI setup
    Learning value
      Architecture reference
      Blog post companion
      Gitpod one-click workspace

mindmap root((Bulletproof Node.js)) What it does API starter template Scalable folder structure User management example Tech stack TypeScript and Express MongoDB and Mongoose Celebrate and Joi validation Features Auth and CRUD Structured logging CircleCI CI setup Learning value Architecture reference Blog post companion Gitpod one-click workspace

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Clone this template to start a new Node.js backend project with a folder structure that scales as the codebase grows

USE CASE 2

Learn how to wire input validation directly into Express route definitions using Celebrate and Joi

USE CASE 3

Study a working example of user authentication, login, and CRUD operations in a TypeScript Express app

USE CASE 4

Explore the architecture in a browser without installing anything locally using the one-click Gitpod workspace

Tech stack

TypeScriptNode.jsExpressMongoDBMongooseCelebrateJoi

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Node 14.9 and a running MongoDB instance, copy .env.example to .env before starting the server.

In plain English

Bulletproof Node.js is a starter template and reference project for building a backend API with Node.js. It was created to accompany a blog post about how to structure a Node.js project in a way that stays organized as it grows. The repository is meant to be read alongside that article rather than as a standalone codebase. The project itself is a basic user management API: it lets you create, read, update, and delete user accounts, and it handles login and authentication. It is not meant to be a finished product, but rather a working example of the architectural patterns the author recommends for small teams or solo developers building backend services. A few design choices stand out. Input validation is handled by a library called Celebrate combined with Joi, which lets you describe what data an API endpoint expects directly in the route definition. This keeps the rules visible to anyone reading the code, including frontend developers, without relying on separate documentation that can go out of date. The project also includes a structured logging layer and is set up with continuous integration via CircleCI. The tech stack is Express for routing, MongoDB with Mongoose for the database, and TypeScript throughout. Node version 14.9 is specified. Setup takes a few commands: install dependencies, copy the example environment file, and start the server. The README also links to a one-click Gitpod workspace if you want to run it in a browser without installing anything locally. The author is candid that this is not a perfect architecture and explicitly targets small startups and solo projects. The FAQ section advises against serving frontend files from Node.js and recommends keeping the architecture simple until business demands push you toward more complex infrastructure. The project is a starting point and a conversation piece, not a production blueprint.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Based on the bulletproof-nodejs architecture, show me how to add a new REST endpoint for creating a product, with Celebrate input validation and a Mongoose model, following the same folder structure.

Prompt 2

I cloned bulletproof-nodejs and want to swap MongoDB for PostgreSQL with Prisma. Which files and layers would I need to change?

Prompt 3

Show me how bulletproof-nodejs handles authentication tokens, where is the middleware applied and how does it protect routes?

Prompt 4

I want to add a new resource to bulletproof-nodejs with its own service, repository, and route file. Walk me through the exact files to create following the existing pattern.

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

← santiq on gitmyhub — every repo by this author, as a profile.

Verify against the repo before relying on details.