Hello Coders,

Lately, I'm focusing a lot on boilerplates and starters in order to save an important resource: time. You may not use it before a boilerplate, and this is ok, but in my case, when I start a new project in Nodejs, I try to avoid much as I can to code the bottom layer of the product. This phase usually, is boring, not so creative, and relatively time-consuming.

This article presents a Node JS Starter that I've used to speed up a little my development for some products written in Javascript, in the last few months. Bellow is the look & feel of the final app.

What is Node JS

Nodejs is a JavaScript runtime environment that includes everything you need to execute a program written in JavaScript in your favorite operating system. Basically, what you can execute in the browser, by using Nodejs, you can execute directly in the operating system and do things just like Python or Ruby.

What is a Boilerplate Code

In computer programming, boilerplate code refers to sections of code that have to be included in many places with little or no alteration. Write once, and reuse over and over. You may read more about boilerplate code on Wikipedia.

Material Kit React

Material Kit React is a Free Material-UI Kit, coded in React with a fresh, new design inspired by Google's material design. Read more about Material Kit React on the official product page.

The Nodejs Starter is built using a decoupled architecture, where the Material Kit React frontend communicates with the Nodejs / Express backend through secure ajax call.

To use and start this starter, a few simple steps must be followed:

clone, build and start the Nodejs Starter backend
clone, built and start the Material Kit React frontend
update the code and add your magic on top of the existing boilerplate code.

Let's say a few words about each side of this starter

Material Kit React Frontend

To have a fully functional React frontend, I've added on top of the existing design the necessary code to handle the authentication and registration. Users will enter the classic email / password information and the account will be created if not exists already in the backend service.

Built & start the frontend

$ # clone the react Frontend 

$ git clone https://github.com/app-generator/material-kit-react.git
$ cd material-kit-react
$ yarn # to install the dependencies
$ yarn start

If all goes well, the frontend should be visible in your browser at the address localhost:8080. At this moment we have the front end app, floating in the air. No connection so far to a real back end. let's do something about it.

Node JS Backend

Nodejs Starter is already equipped with some basic modules and features, to help you jump over the basic setup:

Express backend
ORM Sequelize, on top of SQLite database
Passport, JWT for authentication

$ git clone https://github.com/app-generator/nodejs-starter.git
$ cd nodejs-starter
$ yarn
$ yarn start

I will update this article with new information, based on the reactions and comments. Sometimes, using a boilerplate, from a trusted source can help you to save some valuable time and speed up a little the development speed.

Other Nodejs Starters

Nodejs Starter - Open-Source Boilerplate Code
Nodejs Starter Javascript Boilerplates to start fast
Nodejs Starter - Full-Stack Vue Argon Design

Thank you! Btw, my (nick) name is Sm0ke and I'm pretty active also on Twitter.

Node JS Starter - Full-Stack React Material Kit