merlee.js

a lighweight api framework for Node.js

Welcome to merlee.js!

merlee.js is a backend nodejs rest api framework that lets you focus on the backend web fundamentals to deliver a simple and resilient apis that deploy to any Node.js server environments

Table of Contents

• Dislaimer
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Hello World Example
• Basic Routing
• Middleware
• App Options
• Serving Static Files
• Contributing
• File Structure
• About the Author

Disclaimer

merlee.js is provided as-is, without any warranty or guarantee of fitness for any particular purpose. While efforts have been made to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the software, the developers cannot be held responsible for any damages or liabilities arising from the use of this software.

Please use merlee.js responsibly and ensure that you understand its capabilities and limitations before integrating it into your projects. Additionally, keep in mind that merlee.js may be subject to changes and updates, so it's recommended to stay informed about the latest developments and updates.

By using merlee.js, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the MIT License. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to the developers or consult the documentation.

Prerequisites

• Nodejs a free, open-sourced, cross-platform JavaScript run-time environment that lets developers write command line tools and server-side scripts outside of a browser.

Installation

Assuming you already have Nodejs installed on your machine. create a directory to hold your application and cd into the newly created folder

$ mkdir my-app
$ cd my-app

Use the npm init command to create a package.json file for your project

$ npm init

Now install merlee.js into the directory you just. For Example

$ npm install merlee.js

Hello world example

import merlee from 'merlee.js';
const app = merlee({
  port: 3000,
});

app.handler({ method: 'GET', path: '/' }, (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World');
});

app.listen((port) => console.log('listening on port:', port));

currently undefined routes juts hang, and do not send backend a response. The example above is a fully working server and when http://localhost:3000 is visited the server send backend a 200 response with Hello World

both thr req and res objects are the same objects that nodejs http provides but with a few modifications.

Basic Routing

The following examples illustrate how defining endpoints in merlee.js work

app is an instance of the Merlee Class

app.handler({ method: 'GET', path: '/' }, (req, res) => {
  // code goes here...
});

Real world projects often have different routes in different directories, because of this merlee.js has an inbuilt routing system. To use the merlee.js router, create a new javascript file that has a function that returns embedded objects that have router configuration. For example

// routes.js
function routes() {
  return {
    get: {
      path: '/users/friends',
      callback(req, res) {
        // do something
      },
    },
    post: {
      path: '/users/friends',
      callback(req, res) {
        // do something
      },
    },
  };
}

Middleware

The following examples illustrate how middleware can be used

const app = merlee({
  port: 3000,
  middleware: [checkAuth, checkSubscription],
});

app.handler({ method: 'GET', path: '/', middleware: [isAdmin] }, (req, res) => {
  // code goes here...
});

the method used on the endpoint is defined by the name of the key.

App Options

to pass app options use the set() method. the Merlee object has a set method which you could use to set global options for your apps. some inbuilt options port, static, views

option	description
port	sets a port that the server runs on
views	sets a path to the ejs files directory
static	serves files in the directory as static

app options can be set by passing them directly to the Merlee class. For example

const app = merlee({ port: 3000 });

Serving Static Files

To serve static files such as css, images or other types of files. set the app option static to the directory you would like to be served by the server. Below is an example of how to set the static method

const app = merlee({ static: './public' });

now all the files in the public directory are served as static files. now the files can be access:

http://localhost:3000/public/style.css
http://localhost:3000/public/app.js
http://localhost:3000/public/cat.png

Creating an app

to initialize a new app

const app = merlee({ port: 8080 });

the following methods can be passed to the app object

method	description
port	sets port for server to run on
views	sets path to ejs views folder
static	sets directory for static files

giving the app options

const app = merlee({
  port: 8080,
  views: 'src/ejs',
  static: 'public',
});

handling requests

app.handler({ path: '/', method: 'get' }, (req, res) => {
  // req object - get data from client
  // res object - sends data to client
});

req	description
body	contains form or json data
params	contains url search parameters

handling responses

responses (send, sendFile, render)

res	description
send	responds with json data
render	sends processed ejs file to client
sendFile	sends file to client

routing

creating a router

// # routes/room.js
module.exports = const router = () => {
  return {
    get:{
      path:'/room',
      callback(req, res){
        res.send('hello from the router')
      }
    },
    post:{
      path:'/room',
      callback(req, res){
        res.send(req.body)
      }
    }
  }
}

// # server.js
import Merlee from 'merlee.js'
import {router} from './routes/room'
const app = new Merlee();


app.handler(router);

Basic Example

import merlee from 'merlee.js';
const app = merlee({ port: 8080, views: 'src/views', static: 'public' });

//  get request
app.handler({ path: '/', method: 'get' }, (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World!');
});

app.handler({ path: '/home', method: 'get' }, async (req, res) => {
  const posts = await Posts.find({});

  // supports ejs out of the box;
  res.render('home', { posts });
});

// post request
app.handler({ path: '/', method: 'post' }, (req, res) => {
  res.send({ ...req.body }, 201);
});

app.listen((port) => console.log(`listening on port ${port}`));

would like to learn more about ejs ? click this link

Contributing

feel free to contribute and make merlee.js a better package.

File Structure

file	description
body	handles request body
static	handles static files
fileTypes	handles content types for static files
merlee	main file, connectes all above together

License

MIT License

License

this project is MIT Licensed

Author

• Twitter @mwelwankuta
• Instagram @mwlnka
• LinkedIn in/mwelwa