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Express Folder Structure — Backend

This repository contains a sample Express.js backend with a clear, modular folder structure to help teams and learners build maintainable APIs.

Quick Overview

  • Purpose: Starter / reference backend showing a clean Express app layout (controllers, routes, services, models, middlewares).
  • Entry points: server.js and src/app.js

Folder structure

Top-level layout:

  • server.js — Application bootstrap / server startup file.
  • src/ — Main source folder for the application.
    • app.js — Express app setup (middleware, routes mounting).
    • config/ — Configuration helpers (DB connection, config values). See src/config/db.js.
    • controllers/ — Request handlers (controller functions for routes).
    • middlewares/ — Express middleware (auth, error handling, logging helpers).
    • models/ — Data models (ORM definitions or schema objects).
    • routes/ — Route definitions and route-level wiring.
    • services/ — Business logic and data access abstractions.
    • utils/ — Small utilities and helpers used across the app.

This separation keeps concerns isolated: controllers handle HTTP, services implement business logic, models describe data, and routes connect endpoints to controllers.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js: use an LTS version (recommended >= 16.x or 18.x).
  • npm or yarn (npm ships with Node.js).
  • Recommended: Git, VS Code or another editor, and optionally Docker if you plan to containerize.

Getting started (when someone clones this repo)

  1. Clone the repo:
git clone <repo-url>
cd <repo-folder>
  1. Install dependencies:
npm install
# or
yarn install
  1. Create environment variables:
  • Copy a .env.example if present, or create a .env file in the project root.
  • Do NOT commit .env to source control.

Example .env (adjust to your app and DB):

# Server
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development

# Database (example for a Postgres connection string)
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/mydb

# Auth
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_here
  1. Database setup
  • This project keeps DB configuration in src/config/db.js. Update the connection string or credentials there or via DATABASE_URL in .env.
  • If you use migrations/seeds (not included by default), run their commands (e.g., npx sequelize-cli db:migrate or your migration tool of choice).
  1. Start the server

If package.json provides scripts, use them. Common commands:

# Development with auto-reload (if script exists):
npm run dev

# Production/start:
npm start

# Direct node run (fallback):
node server.js
  1. Verify API
  • Open http://localhost:3000 (or the PORT you set) and test endpoints with Postman, curl, or a REST client.

What to skip or ignore when cloning

  • node_modules/ — always skip; run npm install instead.
  • .env — contains secrets and local config; do not commit.
  • npm-debug.log, yarn-error.log, and other local logs.

These are commonly included in .gitignore.

Recommended tools & editor setup

  • VS Code extensions: ESLint, Prettier, GitLens, DotENV, REST Client or Thunder Client.
  • Linter / formatter: set up eslint and prettier if not present.
  • Enable the Node.js debugger for breakpoints when running in development.

Testing & linting

  • If the repo includes tests, run them with:
npm test
  • Linting/formatting (if configured):
npm run lint
npm run format

If these scripts are not present in package.json, you can add them and the required devDependencies.

Docker (optional)

  • If you plan to containerize, add a Dockerfile and optionally a docker-compose.yml to run the app and a DB together.

Contributing

  • Fork the repo, create a feature branch, add tests for new behavior, and open a pull request.
  • Keep changes focused and update README when adding new folders or scripts.

Where to look in the codebase

Troubleshooting

  • If the server fails to start, check PORT and DB connection in .env and src/config/db.js.
  • Use console.log or a debugger to inspect startup errors.

License

Add your project license here (e.g., MIT). Update LICENSE file accordingly.

If you want, I can also:

  • add a .env.example file with the keys shown above,
  • add basic npm scripts (dev, start, lint, test) in package.json, or
  • scaffold a Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml for local development.