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Top 10 Node.js Tips for Amsterdam

Master Node.js development with these essential tips and best practices used by top developers in Amsterdam.

Master Async/Await for Clean Code

Modern Node.js development relies heavily on async/await for handling asynchronous operations. This pattern makes your code more readable and easier to debug compared to callbacks or raw promises.

async function fetchUserData(userId) {
  try {
    const user = await User.findById(userId);
    const orders = await Order.find({ userId });
    return { user, orders };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching user:', error);
    throw error;
  }
}

Use Environment Variables for Configuration

Never hardcode sensitive data or configuration values. Use environment variables with packages like dotenv to manage configuration across different environments securely.

// .env
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost/db
API_KEY=your-secret-key

// app.js
require('dotenv').config();

const db = new Database(process.env.DATABASE_URL);
const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY;

Implement Proper Error Handling

Create a centralized error handling middleware in Express and use custom error classes to differentiate between operational and programmer errors.

class AppError extends Error {
  constructor(message, statusCode) {
    super(message);
    this.statusCode = statusCode;
    this.isOperational = true;
  }
}

app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
  const statusCode = err.statusCode || 500;
  res.status(statusCode).json({
    status: 'error',
    message: err.message
  });
});

Use TypeScript for Type Safety

TypeScript catches bugs at compile time and improves code documentation. It's especially valuable in larger Node.js applications where type safety prevents runtime errors.

interface User {
  id: string;
  email: string;
  role: 'admin' | 'user';
}

async function createUser(data: Omit<User, 'id'>): Promise<User> {
  const user = await db.users.create({
    data: { ...data, id: generateId() }
  });
  return user;
}

Optimize Database Queries

Use connection pooling, implement caching with Redis, and always index your database columns properly. Avoid N+1 query problems by using eager loading.

// Connection pooling with pg
const pool = new Pool({
  max: 20,
  idleTimeoutMillis: 30000,
  connectionTimeoutMillis: 2000,
});

// Eager loading with Prisma
const usersWithPosts = await prisma.user.findMany({
  include: { posts: true }
});

Implement Request Validation

Validate all incoming data at your API boundaries. Use libraries like Joi, Zod, or class-validator to ensure data integrity before processing.

import { z } from 'zod';

const UserSchema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email(),
  password: z.string().min(8),
  age: z.number().min(18).optional()
});

app.post('/users', (req, res) => {
  const result = UserSchema.safeParse(req.body);
  if (!result.success) {
    return res.status(400).json(result.error);
  }
  // Process validated data
});

Use Streams for Large Data

When handling large files or data sets, use Node.js streams to process data in chunks rather than loading everything into memory.

const fs = require('fs');
const { pipeline } = require('stream/promises');
const zlib = require('zlib');

async function compressFile(input, output) {
  await pipeline(
    fs.createReadStream(input),
    zlib.createGzip(),
    fs.createWriteStream(output)
  );
  console.log('File compressed successfully');
}

Implement Rate Limiting

Protect your APIs from abuse and DDoS attacks by implementing rate limiting. Use packages like express-rate-limit for easy setup.

const rateLimit = require('express-rate-limit');

const limiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
  max: 100, // limit each IP to 100 requests
  message: 'Too many requests, try again later'
});

app.use('/api', limiter);

Structure Your Project Properly

Follow a clean architecture pattern to separate concerns. Organize code by feature/domain rather than technical role for better scalability.

// Project structure
src/
├── modules/
│   ├── users/
│   │   ├── user.controller.ts
│   │   ├── user.service.ts
│   │   ├── user.repository.ts
│   │   └── user.routes.ts
│   └── orders/
├── shared/
│   ├── middleware/
│   └── utils/
└── app.ts

Monitor and Log Effectively

Implement structured logging with Winston or Pino, and use APM tools to monitor application performance. Include correlation IDs for request tracing.

const pino = require('pino');

const logger = pino({
  level: process.env.LOG_LEVEL || 'info',
  transport: {
    target: 'pino-pretty'
  }
});

app.use((req, res, next) => {
  req.id = crypto.randomUUID();
  req.log = logger.child({ requestId: req.id });
  next();
});

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