My Users API - Starter Codebase

A simple Node.js Express API for user management. This is the starter codebase that serves as a foundation for implementing various security features and authentication mechanisms.

Project Structure

my-users/
├── controllers/
│   └── userController.js     # Controller functions for user routes
├── middleware/
│   └── errorHandler.js       # Global error handling middleware
├── routes/
│   └── userRoutes.js         # API routes for user endpoints
├── .env                      # Environment variables
├── .gitignore                # Git ignore file
├── app.js                    # Main application entry point
├── package.json              # Project dependencies and scripts
└── README.md                 # Project documentation

Features

• Express.js web server
• RESTful API architecture
• CORS enabled for cross-origin requests
• Environment variable configuration
• Basic error handling middleware
• Request logging

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/users	Get all users (unsecured)
POST	/api/users	Create a new user (unsecured)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm (v6 or higher)

Getting Started

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd my-users

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file in the root directory with the following content:

   PORT=3000
   

Running the Application

Development Mode

Run the application with nodemon for automatic restarts during development:

npm run dev

Production Mode

Run the application in production mode:

npm start

The server will start on the port specified in your .env file (default: 3000).

Testing the API

You can test the API using tools like Postman, curl, or any HTTP client.

Example Requests

Get All Users

curl http://localhost:3000/api/users

Expected response:

{
  "message": "Get all users (unsecured)"
}

Create a New User

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" http://localhost:3000/api/users

Expected response:

{
  "message": "Create a new user (unsecured)"
}

Next Steps

This starter codebase is designed to be extended with various security features such as:

1. User authentication with JWT
2. Password hashing
3. Rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks
4. Input validation
5. Security headers with Helmet
6. Database integration

License

ISC