Introduction
In this article, we will going to talk about organizing node.js project in a structured way.
Organized project structure reduces bugs & delicacy, Increases the stability & scalability of the code.
The Structure
|--app.js
|--api-routes
|--config
|--data
|--jobs
|--loaders
|--node_modules
|--public
|--secrets
|--services
|--views
|--package-lock.json
|--package.json
1. app.js
app.js is the entry point or heart of the node.js application
//app.js
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
require('./loaders/network-information.js');
require('./api-routes/home.js')(app);
require('./jobs/say-hello.js');
var config = require('./config/config.js');
app.set('view engine', 'ejs');
app.use(express.static('public'))
app.listen(config.port, () => {
console.log(`App listening at http://localhost:${config.port}`);
})
2. api-routes
api-routes contain URL endpoints, which help users to interact with the application.
|--api-routes
|--home.js
//home.js
var analytics = require('../services/analytics.js');
module.exports = function(app, network_information){
app.get('/', function(req, res){
res.render('home.ejs', {key: "You have visited this page "+analytics.visitCounter()+" times"});
});
}
3. config
This folder contains files that are used to configure the parameters & initial settings for application. They can be overridden & extended by Environment Variables, Command Line Parameters, or External Sources
|--config
|--config.js
//config.js
module.exports = {
port: process.env.PORT || 80
};
4. data
Here you can store your small data or can use it as a local database
Note: Don't store any sensitive or confidential data here, Always use secure database for that kind of data.
|--data
|--users.json
//users.json
[
{
"name": "Mario Curtis",
"city": "San Francisco",
"contact number": "4949494949780",
"type": "Admin"
}
]
5. Jobs
jobs folder contains scripts that will execute themselves automatically at a particular time
Just like, Here we have created a script which prints "Hello" every hour a day.
|--jobs
|--say-hello.js
//say-hello.js
var schedule = require('node-schedule');
schedule.scheduleJob('00 * * * *', function(){
console.log('Hello World, This scheduler will say "Hello" every hour to you');
});
6. loaders
loaders contains the type of scripts that will execute at the time server starts.
Just like, Here we are fetching user's IP Address whenever server starts
|--loaders
|--network-information.js
//network-information.js
const http = require('http');
http.get('http://api.ipify.org?format=json', (resp) => {
let data = '';
resp.on('data', (chunk) => {
data += chunk;
});
resp.on('end', () => {
console.log("Your IP address is "+JSON.parse(data).ip)
});
}).on("error", (err) => {
console.log("Error: " + err.message);
});
7. public
public folder contains all the files that have to be served "statically" (JS, CSS, Image File).
|--public
|--css
| |--home.css
|--js
| |--home.js
//home.css
body{
background-color: #f3f7fa;
}
div{
text-align: center;
padding-top: 200px;
}
console.log('Hello from javascript');
8. secrets
You can store all your secrets related to web application such as API-KEY, AUTHENTICATION-KEY, etc.
|--secrets
|--keys.json
//keys.json
{
"api-key": "HUH121NVYTB091BHHBCR121DR"
}
9. services
services contains set of modules which performs a specific task. They can be used over & over again.
|--services
|--anaytics.json
//analytics.json
var i = 0;
function visitCounter()
{
i = i + 1;
return i;
}
module.exports = {
visitCounter: visitCounter
}
10. views
It contains HTML Template files, Which later rendered "dynamically" by Templating Engine & serve HTML response to user.
Here we are using EJS templating engine, You can use any templating engine(pug, ejs) as per your convenience.
|--views
|--home.ejs
//home.ejs
<html>
<head>
<title>Node.js Project Structure</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/home.css"/>
</head>
<body>
<div><%= key %></div>
</body>
<script src="/js/home.js"></script>
</html>
Conclusion
Organized folder structure reduces the code complexity & increases the scalability of application.
You can find whole project on GitHub.
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