Node.js Express Server + Apollo Boilerplate

About

• This repo is a work-in-progress to design a scalable and modular Node.js Express Server with Apollo (GraphQL)

Setup

• Install NodeJS/npm: https://nodejs.org/en/download/

  • Linux: apt-get install nodejs
  • MacOS: brew install nodejs
  • Windows: direct download, or use Bash on Windows 10

• Install Heroku CLI and create a Heroku account

    $ brew install heroku/brew/heroku
  

• Install Postgres locally (Note: you may also have to install it globally)

    $ npm install pg --save
  

  • Additional download for Postgres.app and its GUI: https://postgresapp.com/

• Optional: Install CRA globally (only if you want to create a react app from scratch)

    $ npm install -g create-react-app
  

• Update the eslint version in the client/frontend to match the eslint in the backend

    $ cd frontend
    $ rm -rf node_modules
    $ npm uninstall babel-eslint
    $ npm uninstall eslint
    $ npm install
    $ cd frontend/node_modules/react-scripts
    $ rm -rf node_modules
    $ //go into frontend/node_modules/react-scripts/package.json and change the eslint dependency to be 5.9.0 and the babel-eslint dependency to be 10.0.1
    $ npm install //while still in the react-scripts directory
    $ cd ..
    $ npm uninstall babel-eslint@9.0.0
    $ npm uninstall eslint@5.9.0
    $ npm install babel-eslint@10.0.1
  

• Install concurrently (https://www.npmjs.com/package/concurrently) to test in development

    $ npm install -g concurrently
  

• Install Sequelize CLI globally if you don't already have it

    $ npm install -g sequelize-cli --save
  

• Create a local Postgres database called "boilerplate_db"

    $ psql CREATE DATABASE boilerplate_db;
  

  • Ideally, you should not set up a username and password for your local database
  • 'postgres://localhost/boilerplate_db' should point to this database
  • Look at knexfile.js in the root directory to understand how the server accesses your local database

• Run migrations and seed database

    $ sequelize db:migrate
    $ sequelize db:seed:all
  

• If necessary to reset migrations and seeds

    $ sequelize db:migrate:undo
    $ sequelize db:seed:undo:all
  

• Install node dependencies

    $ npm install && cd frontend && npm install
  

• To run the linter (to be done before any commit, after removing all build folders in backend and frontend directories)

    $ npm run lint 
  

• To run the web app locally

    $ npm run dev
  

• To create a Heroku application on the command line and set up the database

    $ heroku create <name of application>
    $ heroku addons:create heroku-postgresql:hobby-dev
    $ heroku run bash
    $ sequelize -m
  

• To run locally on Heroku at localhost:5000

    $ cd frontend && npm run build
    $ ..
    $ heroku local
  

• To push to Heroku application

    $ git push heroku master
  

  • Note: Your first time pushing to heroku may require 'npm install babel' to be added to the build script in package.json

Query Examples

• Example of queries the User model with arguments

    {
        user(username: "John") {
        username
        password
        userType{
          id
          isCandidate
          isReference
          isEmployer
        }
      }
    }
  

Mutation Examples

• Example of mutations to add a User model

    mutation {
      addUser(username: "asdf", password: "asdf123123123123", email: "email901322@gmail.com", isEmployer: true) {
        token
      }
    }
  
    mutation {
      signIn(email:"email901322@gmail.com",  password: "asdf123123123123"){
        token
      }
    } 
  
    Mutation with inputs:
    
    mutation {
      addUser(input: { username: "asdfasdf", password: "asasdfasdfasdfasdf", email: "demo@gmail.com", isEmployer: true})
        {
          token
        }
    }
  

References

• https://www.robinwieruch.de/minimal-node-js-babel-setup/
• https://www.robinwieruch.de/graphql-apollo-server-tutorial/
• https://www.apollographql.com/docs/apollo-server/v2/essentials/server.html
• https://medium.com/@xoor/coding-a-graphql-api-with-node-js-c02d617f49f4
• https://www.apollographql.com/docs/apollo-server/v2/essentials/schema.html
• Style - https://www.apollographql.com/docs/apollo-server/v2/essentials/schema.html#style
• https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-client
• Learning Apollo Queries - https://graphql.org/learn/queries/
• Mutations - https://www.apollographql.com/docs/react/essentials/mutations.html, https://graphql.org/learn/queries/#mutations
• Mutations Tutorial - https://blog.apollographql.com/react-graphql-tutorial-mutations-764d7ec23c15
• Sequelize Documentation - http://docs.sequelizejs.com/
• Sequelize models vs migrations - https://www.duringthedrive.com/2017/05/06/models-migrations-sequelize-node/
• Create foreign keys - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/50584682/sequelize-model-migration-file-and-foreign-key-which-one-is-right
• Sequelize transactions - http://docs.sequelizejs.com/manual/tutorial/transactions.html
• React + Apollo Webapp - https://developer.okta.com/blog/2018/10/11/build-simple-web-app-with-express-react-graphql
• Add React to existing Apollo server - https://auth0.com/blog/develop-modern-apps-with-react-graphql-apollo-and-add-authentication/
• Import vs require in JS - https://insights.untapt.com/webpack-import-require-and-you-3fd7f5ea93c0
• Install Babel for package control HTML formatting in Sublime - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39775860/how-to-fix-sublime-text-highlighting-for-react-tutorial
• Using input types in the frontend - https://medium.com/graphql-mastery/json-as-an-argument-for-graphql-mutations-and-queries-3cd06d252a04
• Apollo Boost set context - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/50211088/cant-set-authentication-header-for-apollo-client
• Apollo Boost migrations - https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-client/blob/master/docs/source/advanced/boost-migration.md
• Apollo update on logout - https://www.apollographql.com/docs/react/recipes/authentication.html#login-logout
• Getting updated data from cache - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/50342116/how-to-get-updated-data-from-apollo-cache/50349323#50349323
• Invoking query in graphql - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45992025/invoking-query-of-graphql-of-apollo-client
• Using Sequelize in Heroku - https://sequelize.readthedocs.io/en/1.7.0/articles/heroku/