Nodejs Backend Patterns

Node.js Backend Patterns

Comprehensive guidance for building scalable, maintainable, and production-ready Node.js backend applications with modern frameworks, architectural patterns, and best practices.

When to Use This Skill

• Building REST APIs or GraphQL servers
• Creating microservices with Node.js
• Implementing authentication and authorization
• Designing scalable backend architectures
• Setting up middleware and error handling
• Integrating databases (SQL and NoSQL)
• Building real-time applications with WebSockets
• Implementing background job processing

Detailed patterns and worked examples

Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.

Best Practices

• Use TypeScript: Type safety prevents runtime errors
• Implement proper error handling: Use custom error classes
• Validate input: Use libraries like Zod or Joi
• Use environment variables: Never hardcode secrets
• Implement logging: Use structured logging (Pino, Winston)
• Add rate limiting: Prevent abuse
• Use HTTPS: Always in production
• Implement CORS properly: Don't use * in production
• Use dependency injection: Easier testing and maintenance

10. Write tests: Unit, integration, and E2E tests

11. Handle graceful shutdown: Clean up resources

12. Use connection pooling: For databases

13. Implement health checks: For monitoring

14. Use compression: Reduce response size

15. Monitor performance: Use APM tools

Testing Patterns

See javascript-testing-patterns skill for comprehensive testing guidance.