Node.js is a game-changer in web development. It lets developers use JavaScript seamlessly from the browser to the server. Its event-driven setup is like a multitasking superhero, making it perfect for applications with simultaneous tasks, such as chat apps and online games.

It excels as a web server superhero, effortlessly handling multiple users and creating snappy APIs for real-time applications like chats and gaming. It's not just for the web; Node.js fits into microservices architectures and even tackles desktop applications with frameworks like Flutter or Electron.

Node.js is your trusty sidekick, making web development more enjoyable and efficient. In this article, we are going to dive into some super useful Node.js boilerplate snippets that will become an indispensable part of your workflow.

As you add them to your workflow, you’ll need to go back to these snippets over and over again. We will help you overcome this tedious task!

Rather than searching your notes endlessly, you can use Pieces for Developers to organize these Node.js code snippets along with the useful links, tags, helpful descriptions, anchors, and titles for each snippet, making it a <1-second task to retrieve one whenever you need it. Ready to get started? Install the Pieces Desktop App for free.

Let's dive in!

1. CORS in Node.js Express Boilerplate

Using Node.js CORS is a mechanism that allows a web server to specify which domains are allowed to access its resources. When a client makes a request to a server, the server includes a special header called Access-Control-Allow-Origin in its response. This header specifies which domain is allowed to access the resources. If the requesting domain is not in the allowed list, the browser will block the request.

Here is a boilerplate Node.js snippet to enable all CORS requests:

var express = require('express')
var cors = require('cors')
var app = express()

app.use(cors())

app.get('/products/:id', function (req, res, next) {
  res.json({msg: 'This is CORS-enabled for all origins!'})
})

app.listen(80, function () {
  console.log('CORS-enabled web server listening on port 80')
})

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2. Enable CORS for a Single Route

If you need a certain route to be accessible and not other routes, you can configure CORS as a middleware instead of configuring it to the whole app. This will allow a certain route to be accessible by any domain. In this case, only the / route will be accessible for every domain. Here's a Node.js express boilerplate for enabling CORS:

var express = require('express')
var cors = require('cors')
var app = express()

app.get('/products/:id', cors(), function (req, res, next) {
  res.json({msg: 'This is CORS-enabled for a Single Route'})
})

app.listen(80, function () {
  console.log('CORS-enabled web server listening on port 80')
})

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3. Basic Morgan Usage

Adding Morgan to middlewares in Express is enough to get you started. The below setup will start logging requests in the console.

Here's a simple Node.js boilerplate for basic Morgan usage:

const express = require('express');
const morgan = require('morgan'); // import morgan
const app = express();

// setup morgan
app.use(morgan("dev"));

app.listen(3000, () => {
    console.debug('App listening on :3000');
})

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4. Customize Log Formats by Creating Our Own Tokens

Tokens in Morgan are functions identified following the : symbol. Morgan allows you to create your own tokens with the .token() method.

The .token() method accepts a type or the name of the token as the first argument, following a callback function. Morgan will run the callback function each time a log occurs using the token. As a middleware, Morgan applies the req and res objects as arguments.

Here's a boilerplate Node.js snippet for creating custom logs:

import express from 'express';
import morgan from 'morgan';
const app=express();
morgan.token('host', function(req, res) {
return req.hostname;
});
// we are using the host parameter
app.use(morgan(':method :host :status :res[content-length] - :response-time ms'))
app.get("/", (req, res) => {
res.send("<h1>Hello world!</h1>");
});
app.listen(3000,()=>{
console.log('Listening on port 3000...')
})

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5. Design Tokens with Custom Arguments

To denote custom arguments, you can use square brackets to define arguments passed to a token. This will allow your tokens to accept additional arguments. In your index.js file, apply a custom argument to the Morgan format string in the :param token.

Here's a simple boilerplate Node.js snippet:

app.use(morgan(':method :host :status :param[id]:res[content-length] - :response-time ms')); 
morgan.token('param', function(req, res, param) { 
return req.params[param]; });

The custom argument ID on the :param token in the Morgan invocation will include the ID in the parameter following the .token() method.

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6. Create a Simple HTTP Server in Node.js to Serve a String

A simple HTTP server listens at port 3000 and is used to serve a string. Here's a simple boilerplate Node.js code snippet:

// Load the 'http' module
const http = require('http');

// Create an HTTP server that responds with a string
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  // Set the content type to plain text
  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');

  // Send the string as the response
  res.end('Hello, this is a simple HTTP server in Node.js!');
});

// Specify the port number on which the server should listen
const port = 3000;

// Start the server and listen on the specified port
server.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Server running at http://localhost:${port}/`);
});

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7. Create a Simple HTTP Server in Node.js to serve HTML

This code snippet creates a simple HTTP server that listens at port 3000 and is used to serve HTML:

//serve-html.js
var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');


http.createServer(function (req, res) {
    console.log("Port Number : 3000");
    // change the MIME type from 'text/plain' to 'text/html'
    res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'});
    //reading the content file
    fs.readFile('index.html', (err, data) => {
        //checking for errors
        if (err) 
            throw err;
        console.log("Operation Success");
        //sending the response
        res.end(data);
    });
}).listen(3000);

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8. Create a Simple HTTP Server in Node.js to Serve a PDF

Here is the boilerplate Node.js code to create a simple HTTP server that listens at port 3000 and is used to serve a PDF:

//serve-pdf.js
var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');
console.log('Server will listen at :  127.0.0.1:3000 ');
http.createServer( (req, res)=> {
    console.log("Port Number : 3000");
    // Change the MIME type to application/pdf
    res.writeHead(200, {"Content-Type": "application/pdf"});

    fs.readFile('index.pdf', (error,data) => {
        if(error){
            res.json({'status':'error',msg:err});
        }else{          
            res.write(data);
            res.end();       
        }
    });
}).listen(3000);

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9. Create a Simple HTTP Server in Node.js to Serve Audio

Here is the boilerplate Node.js code to create a simple HTTP server that listens at port 3000 and is used to serve audio:

//serve-audio.js
var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
    console.log("Port Number : 3000");
    // change MIME type to 'audio/mp3'
    res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'audio/mp3'});
    fs.exists('audio.mp3',function(exists){
        if(exists)
        {
            var rstream = fs.createReadStream('audio.mp3');
            rstream.pipe(res);
        }
        else
        {
            res.end("Its a 404");
        }
    });
}).listen(3000);

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10. Create a Simple HTTP Server in Node.js to Serve Video

Here is the boilerplate Node.js to create a simple HTTP server that listens at port 3000 and is used to serve video:

//serve-video.js
var http = require('http');
var fs = require('fs');
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
    console.log("Port Number : 3000");
    // change the MIME type to 'video/mp4'
    res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'video/mp4'});
    fs.exists('video.mp4',function(exists){
        if(exists)
        {
            var rstream = fs.createReadStream('video.mp4');
            rstream.pipe(res);
        }
        else
        {
            res.send("Its a 404");
            res.end();
        }
    });
}).listen(3000);

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Conclusion

That wraps up our handpicked collection of the best Node.js boilerplate code snippets —a valuable resource for both seasoned Node.js developers and those just starting out.

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We hope this article has helped you get comfortable with some handy Node.js boilerplate snippets and when to use them. If you're keen on discovering more useful code snippets, make sure to check out the Pieces Node.js code snippets collection.