Express-Microservices-Starter-Pack

This project serves as a starter pack for building microservices using Express.js. It provides a basic structure for creating modular microservices, handling JSON, managing file uploads, and efficiently processing FormData.

The primary goal of this project is to implement a scalable and modular microservices architecture where services can interact with each other, and handle requests, including form data and file uploads, efficiently.

Libraries Used

The following libraries are used in this project to handle different functionalities:

1. Express - Web framework for Node.js.

   • Used for building the microservices, handling routing, and managing middleware.

2. Multer - Middleware for handling multipart/form-data (used for file uploads).

   • Handles form data including file uploads and text data in a clean and efficient way.

3. CORS - Middleware to enable Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS).

   • Allows for secure cross-origin requests and data sharing between different origins.

4. express-http-proxy - Proxy middleware for Express.js.

   • Used for forwarding requests from one service to another in the microservices architecture. It enables efficient communication between services, especially in distributed systems.

5. body-parser (optional) - Middleware to parse incoming request bodies.

   • Helps parse JSON and URL-encoded data (though in this project, multer is preferred for handling form data).

Important Notes

1. Do Not Use express.json() Globally

Avoid using express.json() at the root level (e.g., in the main Express app). This is because express.json() will consume the request body, preventing other middlewares, such as multer for handling file uploads, from accessing the request body.

Instead, use multer for handling all types of form data (even if the form only contains text data). This allows you to manage file uploads and form data correctly without issues.

2. Use multer for File Handling

For handling any form data (including text and file uploads), always use multer. The following example demonstrates how to handle form data, including files:

const multer = require('multer');

const upload = multer();

app.post('/upload', upload.any(), (req, res) => {
  console.log("Request: ", req.body);
  res.json({ message: "FormData Received", data: req.body });
});