🚀 Building a Modular and Scalable Backend with NestJS

As developers, we often face challenges in building maintainable and scalable backend systems. Questions like:

• How do I manage multiple modules efficiently?
• What’s the best way to integrate Docker for database switching?
• How can I auto-generate API documentation while ensuring security?

To address these challenges, I’ve created a NestJS Starter Template that streamlines backend development. It’s packed with features like modular design, Docker integration, JWT authentication, and Swagger documentation.

What is This Template About?

This starter template is designed for developers who want to hit the ground running with NestJS, a progressive Node.js framework. It includes:

• Scalable Modular Architecture: Each feature is encapsulated, making the codebase clean and maintainable.
• Pre-configured Docker Setup: Switch between MySQL and PostgreSQL with ease.
• Swagger Documentation: Automatically generated and interactive API docs.
• JWT Authentication: Secure authentication out of the box.
• Environment-based Configuration: Centralized management for development, staging, and production.

Key Features

1️⃣ Modular Design

The template uses a feature-based folder structure:

src/

├── modules/

│   ├── auth/  # Authentication module

│   ├── user/  # User module

├── common/    # Shared utilities (e.g., decorators, pipes)

├── configs/   # Environment configurations

├── core/      # Core functionalities (e.g., database, logger)

2️⃣ Dockerized Development

Whether you prefer MySQL or PostgreSQL, the setup is pre-configured:

# Run with MySQL

docker-compose -f docker-compose.mysql.yml up --build

  
  
  Run with PostgreSQL


docker-compose -f docker-compose.postgres.yml up --build

3️⃣ JWT Authentication

The starter comes with:

• Register Route: Sign up new users.
• Login Route: Authenticate and receive a JWT.
• Protected Routes: Access only with a valid token.

4️⃣ Swagger Integration

API documentation is auto-generated with Swagger, accessible at /api/docs.

How to Get Started

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone 

cd nestStarthttps://github.com/your-repo/nestStart.git

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

# General Configuration

PORT=3000

NODE_ENV=development

  
  
  Database Configuration


DB_TYPE=postgres

DB_HOST=postgres

DB_PORT=5432

DB_USERNAME=admin

DB_PASSWORD=password

DB_NAME=my_database

  
  
  JWT Configuration


JWT_SECRET=my_super_secret_key

JWT_EXPIRES_IN=1h

Step 3: Run the Application

# Using Docker

docker-compose -f docker-compose.postgres.yml up --build

  
  
  Or run locally


npm install

npm run start:dev

Endpoints

• POST /auth/register: Register a new user.
• POST /auth/login: Authenticate and get a JWT.
• GET /users: View all users (requires authentication).

What’s Next?

I plan to enhance the template with:

• Advanced logging and analytics
• GraphQL support
• Unit and integration tests

Conclusion

This starter template is my contribution to the developer community. It’s open-source, flexible, and ready for production. Whether you're building an API for a startup or managing an enterprise-grade application, this template will save you hours of setup time.

👉 Check it out on GitHub

I’d love to hear your feedback. What features would you like to see added? Let’s connect and build something amazing together. 💻✨

Feel free to use and customize this article for your LinkedIn post. Let me know if you need further adjustments! 🚀