REST API CRUD Project

A fully containerised REST API CRUD application built with Node.js and Express.js, using PostgreSQL as the database. The project is designed to run seamlessly with Docker, ensuring easy setup and portability across environments.

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Introduction

This project demonstrates how to build a robust backend service with:

• Node.js & Express.js for handling HTTP requests and defining API routes.
• PostgreSQL as the relational database for storing and managing data.
• Docker for containerisation, making the application easy to run and deploy.
• Centralised error handling for consistent API responses.
• Standardised response format across all endpoints.

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Tech Stack

• Node.js – JavaScript runtime for server-side development
• Express.js – Web framework for building RESTful APIs
• PostgreSQL – Relational database system
• Docker – Containerisation for easy setup and deployment

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Architecture Overview

• Routes Layer (src/routes/)
  Defines API endpoints for CRUD operations.

• Controllers Layer (src/controllers/)
  Contains business logic for handling requests and responses.

• Models Layer (src/models/)
  Defines database queries and interactions with PostgreSQL.

• Middleware (src/middleware/)
  Includes error handling, validation, and response formatting.

• App Initialization (src/app.js)
  Configures middleware, connects routes, and starts the Express server.

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Key Features

• RESTful API design following industry best practices.
• Separation of concerns with routes, controllers, and models.
• Environment-based configuration using .env.
• Error handling and status codes for robust API responses.

Example Use Case

This project can serve as:

• A starter template for building backend services.
• A learning resource for understanding CRUD operations in Express.
• A foundation for integrating frontend frameworks (React, Angular, Vue) with a Node.js backend.