Starter for lenne.Tech Nest Server

This is the starter kit for the lenne.Tech Nest Server.

It contains everything you need to get started right away and a few code examples to help you create your own modules.

In combination with Angular (see lenne.Tech Angular example incl. ng-base) the Nest Server is an ideal basis for your next project.

For efficient handling we recommend using the lenne.Tech CLI to initialize a new project and create modules and module elements.

This starter is regularly updated to the latest version of the Nest server. This makes it ideal for viewing the changes and applying them to your own project (see Update Notes).

Requirements

• Node.js: the runtime environment for your server

• pnpm: the package manager for your dependencies

• Git:
  the version control system for your source code

• MongoDB (or any other database compatible with MikroORM):
  the database for your objects

1. Install the starter kit via CLI

$ pnpm add -g @lenne.tech/cli
$ lt server create <ServerName>
$ cd <ServerName>

2. Start the server

$ pnpm run start:dev

3. Extend the server

Since the server is based on Nest, you can find all information about extending your server in the documentation of Nest.

To create a new Module with model, inputs, resolver and service you can use the CLI:

$ lt server module <ModuleName>

We are currently working on a documentation of the extensions and auxiliary classes that the lenne.Tech Nest Server contains. As long as this is not yet available, have a look at the source code. There you will find a lot of things that will help you to extend your server, such as:

• GraphQL scalars
• Filter and pagination
• Decorators for restrictions and roles
• Authorisation handling
• Ready to use user module
• Common helpers and helpers for tests
• ...

Further information

Running the app

# Development
$ pnpm start

# Watch mode
$ pnpm run start:dev

# Production mode
$ pnpm run start:prod

Test

# e2e tests
$ pnpm run test:e2e

Configuration for testing:

Node interpreter: /user/local/bin/node
Vitest package: FULL_PATH_TO_PROJECT_DIR/node_modules/vitest
Working directory: FULL_PATH_TO_PROJECT_DIR
Vitest config: vitest-e2e.config.ts

see E2E-Tests.run.xml

Debugging

Configuration for debugging is:

Node interpreter: /user/local/bin/node
Node parameters: node_modules/@nestjs/cli/bin/nest.js start --debug --watch
Working directory: FULL_PATH_TO_PROJECT_DIR
JavaScript file: src/main.ts

see Debug.run.xml

Configuration

The configuration of the server is done via the src/config.env.ts file. This file is a TypeScript file that exports an object with the configuration values. It is automatically integrated into the ConfigService (see src/core/common/services/config.service.ts).

Environment variables

To protect sensitive data and to avoid committing them to the repository the .env file can be used. An example .env file is provided in the .env.example file.

There are multiple ways to manipulate or extend the configuration via environment variables:

1. Via "normal" integration of the environment variables into the src/config.env.ts
2. Via JSON in the NEST_SERVER_CONFIG environment variable
3. Via single environment variables with the prefix NSC__ (Nest Server Config)

Normal environment variables

Using dotenv (see https://www.dotenv.org/) environment variables can directly integrated into the src/config.env.ts via process.env. E.g.:

export const config = {
  development: {
    port: process.env.PORT || 3000,
  },
};

JSON

The NEST_SERVER_CONFIG is the environment variable for the server configuration. The value of NEST_SERVER_CONFIG must be a (multiline) JSON string that will be parsed by the server (see config.env.ts). The keys will override the other configuration values via deep merge (see https://lodash.com/docs/4.17.15#merge, without array merging).

Single config variables

The prefix NSC__ (Nest Server Config) can be used to set single configuration values via environment variables. The key is the name of the configuration value in uppercase and with double underscores (__) instead of dots. Single underscores are used to separate compound terms like DEFAULT_SENDER for defaultSender. For example, the configuration value email.defaultSender.name can be set via the environment variable NSC__EMAIL_DEFAULT_SENDER_NAME.

Test & debug the NestServer package in this project

Use pnpm link to include the local NestJS server in the project.

1. clone NestServer: git clone https://github.com/lenneTech/nest-server.git
2. go to the nest-server folder (cd nest-server), install the packages via pnpm install and start the nest server in watch mode: pnpm run watch
3. link the nest server live package to this project via pnpm run link:nest-server and start the server: pnpm start
4. unlink the nest-server live package and use the normal package again when you are done: pnpm run unlink:nest-server

Deployment with deploy.party

This project is prepared for deployment with deploy.party.

Example configuration for deploy.party (productive):

Key	Value
Source	GitLab
Repository	my-repo
Branch	main
Registry	localhost
Name	api
URL	api.my-domain.com
Type	Node
Base image	node:20
Custom image command	RUN apt-get install -y tzdata curl
	ENV TZ Europe/Berlin
Base directory	./projects/api
Install command	pnpm install
Build command	pnpm run build
Start command	pnpm run dp:prod
Healthcheck command	curl --fail http://localhost:3000/meta || exit 1
Port	3000
Enable SSL	true

Documentation

The API and developer documentation can automatically be generated.

# generate and serve documentation
$ pnpm run docs

Update

An update to a new Nest Sever version can be done as follows:

1. set the new Nest Server version in the package.json under {dependencies: {"@lenne.tech/nest-server": "NEW_VERSON" }}.
2. run pnpm run update
3. adjust project according to changes in git history from nest server
4. run tests via pnpm run test:e2e, build via pnpm run build and start the server with pnpm start to check if everything is working

Since this starter is regularly updated, it is ideal as a template for the changes to be made in your own project. Simply compare the current version in the Git history of this starter with the version that was previously used in the project and adapt your own project accordingly.

Planned enhancements:

• Documentation of extensions and auxiliary classes

Thanks

Many thanks to the developers of Nest and all the developers whose packages are used here.

License

MIT - see LICENSE