vs-express-api-builder

vs-express-api-builder

A powerful, simple, and effective Express.js API builder that helps you create RESTful APIs with minimal code.

Why Choose vs-express-api-builder?

Our package is different from others because it focuses on simplicity and effectiveness:

• Inline Model Definition - Define your models directly in your code, no need for separate schema files
• Automatic CRUD Operations - Get a full REST API with just a few lines of code
• Built-in Validation - Type-safe validation using Zod
• Powerful Query Builder - Chain methods to build complex queries
• Lifecycle Hooks - Easily extend functionality with before/after hooks
• Simple Middleware Management - Configure middleware with a single object
• Seamless Database Integration - Connect to MongoDB with minimal setup

Getting Started

New to APIs?

If you're new to building APIs, check out our Beginner's Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Quick Start

npm install vs-express-api-builder

Basic Example

import express from 'express';
import { Model, DatabaseConnection, APICreator } from 'vs-express-api-builder';

// Define your model inline
const UserModel = new Model({
  name: { type: String, required: true },
  email: { type: String, required: true, unique: true },
  age: { type: Number, min: 0 }
});

// Create Express app
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

// Connect to MongoDB
await DatabaseConnection.getInstance().connect({
  url: 'mongodb://localhost:27017/myapp'
});

// Create API endpoints
const userAPI = new APICreator({
  path: '/users',
  model: UserModel
});

// Use the API routes
app.use('/api', userAPI.getRouter());

// Start the server
app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on http://localhost:3000');
});

That's it! You now have a fully functional REST API with the following endpoints:

• GET /api/users - List all users
• GET /api/users/:id - Get a specific user
• POST /api/users - Create a new user
• PUT /api/users/:id - Update a user
• DELETE /api/users/:id - Delete a user

Features

Model Definition

Define your models inline with validation rules:

const ProductModel = new Model({
  name: { type: String, required: true },
  price: { type: Number, required: true, min: 0 },
  category: { type: String, enum: ['electronics', 'clothing', 'books'] },
  inStock: { type: Boolean, default: true }
});

Relationships

Define relationships between models:

const OrderModel = new Model({
  user: { type: String, ref: 'User', required: true },
  products: [{ type: String, ref: 'Product' }],
  total: { type: Number, required: true }
});

Validation

Add validation schemas using Zod:

import { z } from 'zod';

const productAPI = new APICreator({
  path: '/products',
  model: ProductModel,
  validation: {
    create: z.object({
      name: z.string().min(2),
      price: z.number().min(0),
      category: z.enum(['electronics', 'clothing', 'books']),
      inStock: z.boolean().optional()
    })
  }
});

Query Builder

Build complex queries with a fluent interface:

// Find all products in the electronics category that are in stock
const products = await ProductModel
  .where('category').equals('electronics')
  .where('inStock').equals(true)
  .sort('price', 'asc')
  .limit(10)
  .exec();

// Find orders with populated user and products
const orders = await OrderModel
  .where('total').gt(100)
  .populate('user')
  .populate('products')
  .exec();

Lifecycle Hooks

Add hooks to extend functionality:

const userAPI = new APICreator({
  path: '/users',
  model: UserModel,
  hooks: {
    beforeCreate: async (req, res, next) => {
      // Hash password before creating user
      req.body.password = await hashPassword(req.body.password);
      next();
    },
    afterCreate: async (req, res, next) => {
      // Send welcome email after user is created
      await sendWelcomeEmail(res.locals.user.email);
      next();
    }
  }
});

Middleware Management

Configure middleware with a single object:

const api = new APICreator({
  path: '/api',
  model: MyModel,
  middleware: {
    auth: true, // Enable authentication
    rateLimit: true, // Enable rate limiting
    cache: true, // Enable response caching
    cors: true // Enable CORS
  }
});

Examples

Check out our examples directory for more usage examples:

• Basic Example - Simple Todo API (Perfect for beginners!)
• Advanced Example - Blog API with relationships
• JavaScript Example - Product API in JavaScript
• TypeScript Example - Task API with TypeScript
• Developer API Example - Developer API with custom routes

Documentation

For more detailed documentation, visit our documentation site.

License

MIT