Express.js

REST APIs and server logic with Express v4.x middleware and routing.

When to Use

• REST APIs
• Middleware stacks
• HTTP request/response handling

Don't use for:

• Static site generation (use Next.js/Astro)
• GraphQL-first APIs (use Apollo Server)
• Edge/serverless zero cold-start (use Hono)

Critical Patterns

✅ REQUIRED: Router Modularization

Group routes into Router instances for clean app.ts.

// CORRECT: modular router in routes/users.ts
const router = Router();
router.get("/", listUsers);
router.post("/", createUser);
export default router;
// WRONG: all routes dumped directly in app.ts

✅ REQUIRED: Async Error Wrapper

Express 4 doesn't catch rejected promises. Wrap async handlers.

// CORRECT: wrapper forwards rejections to error middleware
const asyncHandler = (fn: RequestHandler): RequestHandler =>
  (req, res, next) => Promise.resolve(fn(req, res, next)).catch(next);
router.get("/users/:id", asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
  const user = await db.findUser(req.params.id);
  if (!user) throw new NotFoundError("User not found");
  res.json(user);
}));

✅ REQUIRED: Centralized Error Middleware

Single error handler as last middleware in stack.

// CORRECT: 4-argument signature signals error middleware
const errorHandler: ErrorRequestHandler = (err, req, res, next) => {
  const status = err.statusCode ?? 500;
  res.status(status).json({ error: err.message });
};
app.use(errorHandler);
// WRONG: try/catch in every route returning res.status(500)

✅ REQUIRED: Input Validation Middleware

Validate bodies before route logic.

const CreateUser = z.object({ name: z.string(), email: z.string().email() });
const validate = (schema: z.ZodSchema): RequestHandler =>
  (req, res, next) => {
    const result = schema.safeParse(req.body);
    if (!result.success) return res.status(400).json(result.error.flatten());
    req.body = result.data;
    next();
  };

✅ REQUIRED: Proper Status Codes

Return correct HTTP codes per operation.

// CORRECT: 201 for creation, 204 for no-content delete
router.post("/users", asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
  const user = await db.createUser(req.body);
  res.status(201).json(user);
}));
router.delete("/users/:id", asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
  await db.deleteUser(req.params.id);
  res.status(204).end();
}));

Decision Tree

Multiple resource routes?
  → Group into a Router per resource

Async handler?
  → Wrap with asyncHandler utility

Need auth?
  → Add auth middleware before route handlers

Input from client?
  → Validate with schema middleware

Creating a resource?
  → Return 201, not 200

Deleting a resource?
  → Return 204 with no body

Unhandled error?
  → Let centralized error middleware respond

Example

import express from "express";
import { z } from "zod";
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
const asyncHandler = (fn: Function) =>
  (req: any, res: any, next: any) => Promise.resolve(fn(req, res, next)).catch(next);
const UserSchema = z.object({ name: z.string(), email: z.string().email() });
app.get("/users/:id", asyncHandler(async (req: any, res: any) => {
  const user = await db.findUser(req.params.id);
  if (!user) return res.status(404).json({ error: "Not found" });
  res.json(user);
}));
app.post("/users", asyncHandler(async (req: any, res: any) => {
  const data = UserSchema.parse(req.body);
  res.status(201).json(await db.createUser(data));
}));

Edge Cases

• Async errors: Express 4 swallows rejected promises; use async wrapper.
• Middleware order: Error middleware after routes; auth before protected routes.
• Large payloads: Set express.json({ limit: "1mb" }) to prevent 413/memory issues.
• Double response: res.json() twice throws; guard with if (res.headersSent).
• Missing Content-Type: No Content-Type: application/json → empty req.body.

Checklist

• Every async route handler is wrapped or uses express-async-errors
• A centralized error middleware is the last app.use call
• Routes are grouped into Router modules by resource
• Request bodies are validated before business logic runs
• Correct HTTP status codes are used (201, 204, 400, 404, 500)
• express.json() has an explicit size limit
• Sensitive headers (CORS, Helmet) are configured

Resources

• Express.js 4.x API Reference
• Error Handling Guide
• Express Best Practices - Production