Express Autoroute

Why you should never write any code

Presented by Chris Manson (@real_ate)

April 30, 2014 - NodeUpNorth Leeds

About me

Javascript professionally since 2009

Javascript more than 50% of the time since 2010

Now...

Learning how to write Javascript code

2009 - Greenfield Javascript heavy .NET app

Targeting IE only

... IE6

Learning how to write Javascript code

2010 - Greenfield single page app

Using Qooxdoo widget system

... and SOAP

Learning how to write Javascript code

2011 - Blooie was born

Greenfield ... well... Everything!

Bring on the decisions!

Best Practices VS CoC

This talk by past Chris from a Year ago:

Here are a few of my tips and best practices on how to write and structure your NodeJS code
— Chris Manson (@real_ate) April 30, 2014 - Alternate Universe

This talk now:

Don't write any code! Sit back, relax and let me do that for you
— Chris Manson (@real_ate) April 30, 2014

"Convention over Configuration" is another way of saying "Make Easy Things Easy"
— Yehuda Katz (@wycats) July 2, 2011

What is Express?

A web application framework for node
Makes handling HTTP/S requests easy with middleware
Lots of built in functionality
If you are handling HTTP requests, use Express.

Getting Started

$ npm install express

var express = require('express');
var app = express();
app.get('/', function(req, res){
  res.send('Hello World!');
});
app.listen(3000);

$ curl localhost:3000
Hello World!

Real apps > Getting Started

//# myapp/app.js

var express = require('express');
var app = express();

//Some inline routes
app.get('/me', function(req, res){ 
    res.json(req.session.user) //simplified
});

//Routes from other files
app.get('/analytics', require('./routes/analytics.js').trackEvent);

//Load a collection of routes from another file - IOC
require('./routes/verify.js')(app);

//Load a whole bunch of ungrouped routes
require('./routes').init(app);

And this was all in 1 file

Enter Express-Autoroute

$ npm install express-autoroute

var express = require('express');
var app = express();
var autoroute = require('express-autoroute');

autoroute(app);

app.listen(3000);



//# routes/hello.js
    
module.exports.autoroute = {
    get: {
        '/hello' : function(req, res){
            res.send("Hello World!");
        }
    }
}


$ curl localhost:3000/hello
Hello World!

Express-Autoroute

//# routes/hello.js
    
module.exports.autoroute = {
    get: {
        '/hello' : function(req, res){
            res.send("Hello World!");
        },
        '/hello/:type' : function(req, res){
            res.send("Hello " + req.params.type + "!");
        }
    }
}

$ curl localhost:3000/hello
Hello World! 

$ curl localhost:3000/hello/Everybody
Hello Everybody!

Express-Autoroute Folders

//# routes/api/goodbye.js
    
module.exports.autoroute = {
    get: {
        '/goodbye' : function(req, res){
            res.send("Goodbye cruel World!");
        },
        '/goodbye/:type' : function(req, res){
            res.send("Goodbye " + req.params.type + "!");
        }
    }
}

$ curl localhost:3000/api/goodbye
Goodbye cruel World! 

$ curl localhost:3000/api/goodbye/Everybody
Goodbye Everybody!

What is REST?

Representational state transfer
Defined in 2000 by Roy Fielding
......

The "Right" way to do REST

For some REST is a rigidly defined architecture. That's fine!
For others REST is a concept used to communicate a style. This is also fine!
Be as pragmatic or dogmatic about REST as you want, there are no moral absolutes in software design.

For me:

Ember-Data

Connecting to a HTTP server

Action	HTTP Verb	URL
Find	GET	/people/123
Find All	GET	/people
Update	PUT	/people/123
Create	POST	/people
Delete	DELETE	/people/123

http://emberjs.com/guides/models/connecting-to-an-http-server/

Express + REST

var express = require('express');
var app = express();

app.post('/book', function(req, res){
  // Connect to a data source, create a book, assign to variable book
  res.json(201, book);
});
app.get('/book/:id', function(req, res){
  // Connect to a data source, read a book by id, assign to variable book
  res.json(200, book);
});
app.put('/book/:id', function(req, res){
  // Connect to a data source, update a book by id, assign to variable book
  res.json(200, book);
});app.delete('/book/:id', function(req, res){
  // Connect to a data source, delete a book by id
  res.send(204);
});

app.listen(3000);

Express-Autoroute REST

#// routes/book.js
var express = require('express');
var app = express();

module.exports.autoroute = {
    get: {
        '/book': function(req, res){ res.json(201, book); },
        '/book/:id': function(req, res){ res.json(200, book); }
    },
    put: {
        '/book/:id': function(req, res){ res.json(200, book); }
    },
    delete: {
        '/book/:id': function(req, res){ res.send(204); }
    }
}
app.listen(3000);

Much clearer , but still cumbersome for multiple REST resources.

Express-Autoroute Rest

//# routes/api/blacklists.js
    
module.exports.autoroute = {
    get: {
        '/blacklists' : [authentication, authorisation, get_all],
        '/blacklists/:id' : [authentication, authorisation, get]
    },
    post: {
        '/blacklists/:id' : [authentication, authorisation, update],
        '/blacklists' : [authentication, authorisation, create]
    },
    delete: {
        '/blacklists/:id' : [authentication, authorisation, del]
    }
};
function get_all(req, res){
    //do something
}

...

Enter Express-Autoroute-Json

$ npm install express-autoroute express-autoroute-json

var express = require('express');
var app = express();
var autoroute = require('express-autoroute');

autoroute(app);

app.listen(3000);



//# routes/book.js
var autorouteJson = require('express-autoroute-json');
var Chats = require('../db/models/Chats');

module.exports.autoroute = autorouteJson({
    model: Chats, //mongoose model object
    find: {}
})