Create API Routing in Express with Vite

Tutorial: Enhancing API Routing in ViteJS with vite-plugin-api-routes

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will learn how to enhance API routing in ViteJS using the vite-plugin-api-routes plugin. This plugin improves visibility and project structure in Node.js and Express by mapping the directory structure to route rules.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• Basic knowledge of ViteJS, Node.js, and Express.
• An existing ViteJS project.

Step 1: Installation

To install the vite-plugin-api-routes plugin, run the following command:

yarn add vite-plugin-api-routes

Step 2: Configuration

In your ViteJS project, open the vite.config.ts file and add the following code:

import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import apiRoutes from "vite-plugin-api-routes";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    apiRoutes({
      // Configuration options go here
    }),
  ],
});

Step 3: Directory Structure

Next, let's create the API directory structure in your project's source folder (src/api). Here's an example structure:

> tree src/api/
src/api/:
├───v1
│   │   auth.js
│   │   index.js
│   ├───auth
│   │       login.js
│   │       status.js
│   └───user
│           $userId.js    // Remix Format
│           index.js
└───v2
    │   user.js
    ├───auth
    │       login.js
    │       status.js
    └───user
            index.js
            [userId].js    // NextJS Format

Step 4: Exporting Route Rules

In each API file within the directory structure, you can export the allowed request methods. For example, in the src/api/v1/user/$userId.js file, you can export the DELETE and PUT methods:

///file:src/api/v1/user/$userId.js
export const DELETE = (req, res, next) => {
  res.send("DELETE REQUEST");
};
export const PUT = async (req, res, next) => {
  res.send("PUT REQUEST");
};

Similarly, the file names [userId].js or $userId.js will be exported as request parameters, such as /user/:userId, following the Next.js/Remix framework.

Step 5: Add Middlewares

For every route you can export an array for middlewares. This can be used for authentication purposes or any other sort of middleware that you need.

//file:src/api/v1/user/$userId.js

import authMiddleware from '...';
// or
function authMiddleware(req, res, next) => {
  // ...
}

export default [
  authMiddleware
];

Step 6: Configure Aliases

In order to have proper access to the plugin's alias definitions, you need to include /.api/env.d.ts in either src/vite-env.d.ts or in your tsconfig.json. This will allow you to use the alias correctly throughout your project.

Option 1: Add to vite-env.d.ts

In your src/vite-env.d.ts, add the following line:

/// <reference path="../.api/env.d.ts" />

Step 7: Run the Server

Now, you can start the server using ViteJS, and the API routes will be automatically generated based on the directory structure and exported route rules.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully enhanced API routing in your ViteJS project using the vite-plugin-api-routes plugin. This improves project structure and simplifies configuration, making your development process more efficient.

Remember to refer to the plugin's documentation for more advanced configuration options and customization possibilities.

Happy coding!

You see the examples code in: https://github.com/yracnet/vite-plugin-api-routes/tree/main/packages/examples