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Features

This boilerplate comes packed with production-ready features that help you build reliable, scalable APIs faster. Here's a comprehensive overview of what's included.

Core Features​

Temporal Workflows​

Durable, reliable task execution with automatic retries and state persistence.

  • Automatic Retries: Failed operations retry with exponential backoff
  • Durable State: Workflow state survives crashes and deployments
  • Long-Running Processes: Handle tasks that take hours or days
  • Activity Isolation: Separate business logic from workflow orchestration
  • Built-in Monitoring: Track workflow execution in Temporal UI

Example Use Cases:

  • User onboarding workflows
  • Payment processing with external APIs
  • Data processing pipelines
  • Scheduled tasks and cron jobs

TypeScript Integration​

Full type safety across your entire application.

  • Type-Safe APIs: Request/response types with validation
  • IDE Support: IntelliSense, auto-complete, and inline documentation
  • Compile-Time Errors: Catch bugs before runtime
  • Easy Refactoring: Rename with confidence across the codebase
  • Modern ES Features: Latest JavaScript features with TypeScript

Express.js 5​

Modern web framework with the latest features.

  • Fast Performance: Lightweight and efficient request handling
  • Middleware Support: Extensive ecosystem of plugins
  • Routing: Clean, organized route definitions
  • Error Handling: Centralized error management
  • OpenAPI Documentation: Auto-generated API docs with Swagger

PostgreSQL + Sequelize​

Robust database with a powerful ORM.

  • Migrations: Version control for your database schema
  • Models: Type-safe database models with TypeScript
  • Associations: Easy relationships between tables
  • Transactions: ACID-compliant operations
  • Connection Pooling: Optimized database connections

Security Features​

Built-in Security​

Security best practices implemented out of the box.

  • Helmet: Security headers (XSS, clickjacking, MIME sniffing protection)
  • CORS: Configurable cross-origin resource sharing
  • Rate Limiting: Nginx-level protection (100 req/s default)
  • Input Validation: Schema validation for all API inputs
  • SQL Injection Prevention: Parameterized queries with Sequelize
  • Environment Variables: Secrets never committed to git

Container Security​

Docker images follow security best practices.

  • Non-Root User: Containers run as user nodejs (1001)
  • Multi-Stage Builds: Minimal production images
  • Vulnerability Scanning: Regular dependency updates
  • Least Privilege: Only necessary permissions

Developer Experience​

Hot Reload Development​

Instant feedback during development.

  • API Hot Reload: Changes apply immediately without restart
  • Worker Hot Reload: Workflow changes update automatically
  • TypeScript Watch: Real-time compilation
  • Fast Feedback Loop: See changes in seconds

Testing Suite​

Comprehensive testing setup with coverage.

  • Mocha + Chai: Expressive test assertions
  • Sinon: Powerful mocking and stubbing
  • Coverage Reports: NYC (Istanbul) coverage tracking
  • Integration Tests: Real HTTP request testing
  • Mocked Workflows: Test without Temporal server

Code Quality Tools​

Maintain code quality automatically.

  • ESLint v9: Modern flat config with strict rules
  • Prettier: Automatic code formatting
  • Husky: Git hooks for pre-commit checks
  • TypeScript: Strict mode enabled for maximum safety
  • Git Commit Template: Conventional commits support

Production Features​

Docker Support​

Complete containerization with best practices.

  • Multi-Stage Builds: Separate dev and production images
  • API Container: Optimized Express.js container
  • Worker Container: Dedicated Temporal worker container
  • Docker Compose: Local development environment
  • Layer Caching: Fast rebuilds during development

Kubernetes Ready​

Production-grade Kubernetes manifests included.

  • Deployments: Separate API and Worker deployments
  • Horizontal Pod Autoscaling: Auto-scale 3-10 replicas based on CPU
  • Health Checks: Readiness and liveness probes
  • ConfigMaps: Environment-specific configuration
  • Secrets Management: Secure credential handling
  • Service & Ingress: Load balancing and external access
  • Resource Limits: CPU and memory constraints
  • Network Policies: Secure pod communication
  • Pod Disruption Budgets: High availability guarantees

Nginx Configuration​

Production-ready reverse proxy setup.

  • Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across API instances
  • Rate Limiting: Protect against abuse (100 req/s)
  • SSL/TLS Ready: HTTPS configuration templates
  • Gzip Compression: Reduce bandwidth usage
  • Caching Headers: Optimized cache control
  • Keep-Alive: Persistent connections

Monitoring & Observability​

Built-in monitoring capabilities.

  • Health Endpoints: /health and /readiness endpoints
  • Structured Logging: Winston with JSON format
  • Log Rotation: Daily log files with compression
  • Temporal UI: Visual workflow monitoring
  • Kubernetes Probes: Liveness and readiness checks

API Features​

OpenAPI 3.0 Documentation​

Interactive API documentation with Swagger.

  • Auto-Generated Docs: Based on route definitions
  • Try It Out: Test endpoints directly in browser
  • Schema Validation: Request/response models
  • Authentication: API key and bearer token support
  • Export: Download OpenAPI spec for client generation

RESTful Design​

Well-structured API endpoints.

  • Resource-Based: Clear URL patterns
  • HTTP Methods: Proper use of GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
  • Status Codes: Semantic HTTP responses
  • Error Messages: Consistent error format
  • Pagination: Support for large datasets

Request Validation​

Robust input validation.

  • Schema Validation: Express-validator integration
  • Type Checking: TypeScript interfaces
  • Custom Rules: Business logic validation
  • Error Messages: Clear validation feedback

Project Structure​

Organized Architecture​

Clean, scalable project organization.

src/
├── api/              # API resources (routes, controllers)
├── config/           # Configuration files
├── db/               # Database (models, migrations)
├── temporal/         # Temporal workflows and activities
│   ├── activities/   # Business logic
│   ├── workflows/    # Workflow definitions
│   ├── clients/      # Workflow client functions
│   └── workers/      # Worker processes
├── middleware/       # Express middleware
├── types/            # TypeScript type definitions
└── utils/            # Utility functions

Scalable Patterns​

Patterns that grow with your application.

  • Resource-Based: Add new features by copying patterns
  • Separation of Concerns: Clear boundaries between layers
  • Dependency Injection: Easy testing and mocking
  • Configuration Management: Environment-specific settings

Performance Optimizations​

Built-in Optimizations​

Performance features included by default.

  • Connection Pooling: Efficient database connections
  • Gzip Compression: Reduced payload sizes
  • Keep-Alive Connections: HTTP connection reuse
  • Caching Headers: Browser and CDN caching
  • Worker Scaling: Independent worker scaling
  • Multi-Stage Builds: Minimal production images

Available Scripts​

Development Commands​

npm run dev                    # Start API with hot reload
npm run start:worker:user:dev  # Start worker with hot reload
npm run debug                  # Start API in debug mode
npm run typecheck              # Type check without building

Production Commands​

npm run build                  # Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
npm start                      # Start production API
npm run start:worker:user      # Start production worker
npm run start:worker:all       # Start all workers

Quality Commands​

npm test                       # Run tests with coverage
npm run lint                   # Lint code (max 0 warnings)
npm run lint:fix               # Fix linting issues
npm run pretty                 # Format code with Prettier

Database Commands​

npm run migrate                # Run database migrations
npm run clear-db               # Drop and recreate database

Next Steps​

Explore these guides to learn more: