User API - Express/Mongoose Patterns Adapted for Val Town

This project demonstrates how to adapt familiar Express.js and Mongoose patterns to work in Val Town's Deno environment using Hono and SQLite.

Architecture

The project follows Express/Mongoose conventions but uses Val Town's stack:

Express → Hono: Web framework for routing and middleware
MongoDB/Mongoose → SQLite: Database with ORM-like patterns
Node.js → Deno: Runtime environment

Project Structure

├── index.ts                 # Main app (like Express app.js)
├── models/
│   └── User.ts             # User model (Mongoose-style patterns)
├── controllers/
│   └── userController.ts   # Route handlers (Express controller style)
├── routes/
│   └── userRoutes.ts       # Route definitions (Express router style)
├── middleware/
│   └── errorHandler.ts     # Error handling middleware
└── README.md

API Endpoints

Get User by ID

GET /api/users/:id

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updatedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
  }
}

Get All Users

GET /api/users

Create User

POST /api/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com"
}

Update User

PUT /api/users/:id
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "email": "jane@example.com"
}

Delete User

DELETE /api/users/:id

Key Adaptations

1. Model Layer (Mongoose → SQLite)

UserModel.findById() - Similar to Mongoose User.findById()
UserModel.create() - Similar to Mongoose User.create()
UserModel.findByIdAndUpdate() - Similar to Mongoose method
Static methods instead of instance methods

2. Controller Layer (Express Controllers)

Same controller pattern with error handling
JSON responses with consistent structure
HTTP status codes and error messages

3. Routing (Express Router → Hono Router)

Similar route definition syntax
Middleware support
Parameter extraction with c.req.param()

4. Middleware (Express Middleware → Hono Middleware)

Error handling middleware
Request logging (similar to Morgan)
Async middleware support

Usage Examples

Testing the API

Get user by ID:

curl https://your-val.web.val.run/api/users/1

Create a new user:

curl -X POST https://your-val.web.val.run/api/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com"}'

Get all users:

curl https://your-val.web.val.run/api/users

Error Handling

The API includes comprehensive error handling:

400: Bad Request (invalid parameters)
404: Not Found (user doesn't exist)
409: Conflict (email already exists)
500: Internal Server Error

Development Notes

Database is automatically initialized on startup
SQLite table is created if it doesn't exist
All responses follow a consistent JSON structure
Proper TypeScript typing throughout
Error logging for debugging

muhdsaeed1

expressweb