Welcome to the Node.js/Express Microservice Boilerplate!

This boilerplate is designed to kickstart your microservices development with a robust structure and common best practices. It is meant to be forked and used as a submodule in larger projects consisting of multiple microservices that rely on this boilerplate for consistent development and integration.

The primary purpose of this boilerplate is to streamline the development of microservices and ensure consistency across a project's architecture. With this boilerplate, you can quickly set up a new microservice with the following key features:

• Express.js: A minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework.
• Docker: Containerization for consistent deployment and scaling.
• Continuous Integration: Automated checks for lint errors and code formatting.
• Unit Testing: Out-of-the-box testing setup with Jest.
• Security Headers: Enhanced security using the Helmet middleware.
• Logging: Basic logging setup for access and error logs.
• API Documentation: A template for API documentation.
• Environment Configuration: Basic setup for managing environment variables.
• Scripted Development and Deployment: Convenient Makefile scripts for common tasks.

To get started with this boilerplate, follow these steps:

1. Fork the Repository: Fork this repository to your own GitHub account.

2. Create a New Project: In your organization or account, create a new GitHub repository that represents your microservice project.

3. Add Boilerplate as a Submodule: Add this repository as a submodule to your new project. Submodules allow you to incorporate the boilerplate's code into your project while maintaining a separate repository for your microservice.

   git submodule add https://github.com/skyler-saville/node-microservice-boilerplate.git your-microservice

Project Structure

The project structure is organized for clarity and ease of development. It includes directories for controllers, exceptions, middlewares, models, routes, tests, utils, docs, logs, and security. This structure provides a separation of concerns and facilitates maintainability.

Continuous Integration

Continuous Integration (CI) is set up to automatically check your code for lint errors and code formatting. This ensures that your microservices adhere to best practices.

Customize the Boilerplate

In your new project, customize the code and configuration files within the your-microservice directory to implement the specific functionality of your microservice.

Development and Integration

Continue developing and integrating your microservices within your project. You can add and manage multiple microservices, each serving different purposes and functionality.

Orchestration with Docker Compose

Assemble your microservices into a cohesive architecture using Docker Compose, allowing you to manage and deploy the complete ecosystem.

Security Considerations

Enhance security by reviewing and implementing best practices. Consider additional security measures such as input validation, authentication, and authorization mechanisms.

Logging and Monitoring

Extend logging and monitoring capabilities to troubleshoot issues and optimize performance. Tools like Winston, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, or Sentry can be valuable for this purpose.

API Documentation

Provide extensive API documentation for developers. Tools like Swagger or OpenAPI can assist in generating documentation from code annotations.

Contributions

We encourage contributions to this boilerplate. Feel free to open issues, submit pull requests, or suggest improvements that can benefit the broader microservices community.

By forking and using this boilerplate, you can streamline your microservices development while ensuring consistency and maintainability. Building a robust microservices architecture has never been easier, and you can do it by forking this repository for each of your microservices!

Happy coding!