NovaxJS - Modern Web Framework for Node.js (v7.0.0)

🚀 Introduction

NovaxJS is a lightweight, high-performance web framework for Node.js designed for building modern web applications and APIs. With its minimalist design and powerful features, NovaxJS provides developers with an elegant solution for server-side development.

✨ Features

Blazing Fast - Optimized for performance
Intuitive Routing - Simple yet powerful route definitions
Built-in Template Engine - Novax templating with conditionals and loops
Enhanced File Handling - Robust file uploads and downloads
Middleware Support - Flexible middleware architecture
Static File Serving - With automatic MIME type detection
CORS Support - Configurable CORS policies
Plugin System - Extend framework functionality easily
Modern Error Handling - Custom error pages and middleware
Comprehensive Request Handling - Supports JSON, form-data, and urlencoded bodies
Response Helpers - Built-in methods for common response patterns
View Engine - Powerful template rendering

📦 Installation

npm install novaxjs2

🎯 Quick Start

const Nova = require('novaxjs2');
const app = new Nova();

// Basic route
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World!');
});

// Start server
app.at(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on http://localhost:3000');
});

🔄 What's New in v7.0.0

Major Improvements

Advanced File Handling System
- Completely rewritten file upload processor with better memory management
- Configurable upload directory and file naming strategies
- Detailed file validation with size and type restrictions
- Automatic cleanup of temporary files
Enhanced Security Features
- Improved MIME type validation
- Strict file size limits enforcement
- Configurable maximum number of files per upload
- Option to preserve or randomize uploaded filenames
New FileHandler Class
- Dedicated class for all file operations
- Support for streaming large files
- Comprehensive file validation methods
- Built-in file cleanup utilities
Performance Optimizations
- Reduced memory footprint for file uploads
- Faster multipart form data parsing
- Improved error handling for malformed requests
Extended Configuration Options
- Unified file configuration system
- Simplified API for setting upload limits
- Better defaults for production environments

📚 Comprehensive Documentation

Core API

Creating an Application

const Nova = require('novaxjs2');
const app = new Nova();

Server Configuration

// Set port and optional host
app.at(3000, '0.0.0.0', () => {
  console.log('Server started');
});

// Or just port with callback
app.at(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server started');
});

Routing

Basic Routes

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Home Page');
});

app.post('/users', (req, res) => {
  // Handle POST request
  res.json({ success: true });
});

Route Parameters

app.get('/users/:id', (req, res) => {
  res.send(`User ID: ${req.params.id}`);
});

// Multiple parameters
app.get('/posts/:postId/comments/:commentId', (req, res) => {
  res.json({
    postId: req.params.postId,
    commentId: req.params.commentId
  });
});

Route Middleware

const logger = (req, res, next) => {
  console.log(`${req.method} ${req.url}`);
  next();
};

const auth = (req, res, next) => {
  if (req.headers.authorization) {
    next();
  } else {
    res.status(401).send('Unauthorized');
  }
};

app.get('/secure', logger, auth, (req, res) => {
  res.send('Secure Content');
});

Request Handling

Request Properties

app.get('/request-info', (req, res) => {
  res.json({
    method: req.method,
    url: req.url,
    query: req.query,    // Query parameters
    ip: req.ip,          // Client IP address
    protocol: req.protocol, // http or https
    fullUrl: req.fullUrl, // Complete URL
    headers: req.headers // Request headers
  });
});

Request Body Parsing

// JSON body
app.post('/api/users', (req, res) => {
  console.log(req.body); // Parsed JSON
  res.json({ received: true });
});

// Form data
app.post('/contact', (req, res) => {
  console.log(req.body); // Parsed form data
  res.send('Form submitted');
});

// File uploads
app.post('/upload', (req, res) => {
  console.log(req.files); // Uploaded files
  console.log(req.body);  // Other form fields
  res.json({ success: true });
});

Response Handling

Response Methods

// Send text/HTML
app.get('/text', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World');
});

// Send JSON
app.get('/json', (req, res) => {
  res.json({ message: 'Hello World' });
});

// Set status code
app.get('/status', (req, res) => {
  res.status(201).send('Created');
});

// Redirect
app.get('/old', (req, res) => {
  res.redirect('/new');
});

// Set headers
app.get('/headers', (req, res) => {
  res.set({
    'X-Custom-Header': 'value',
    'Cache-Control': 'no-cache'
  }).send('Headers set');
});

// Send file
app.get('/download', (req, res) => {
  app.sendFile('./files/document.pdf', 'application/pdf', res);
});

// Alternative file send
app.get('/page', (req, res) => {
  app.sendFile('./views/page.html', res); // Defaults to text/html
});

Middleware

Application Middleware

// Runs for all requests
app.useMiddleware((req, res, next) => {
  console.log('Request received');
  next();
});

Error Handling Middleware

app.useErrorMiddleware((err, req, res, next) => {
  console.error(err);
  res.status(500).send('Something broke!');
});

Static Files

// Serve files from /public directory
app.serveStatic('public');

// Custom static directory
app.serveStatic('assets');

// Files will be available at:
// /public/images/logo.png -> /images/logo.png

File Uploads (v7.0.0 Enhanced)

// Configure file upload settings
app.setFileConfig({
  maxSize: 100,          // 100MB max file size
  allowedTypes: [        // Allowed MIME types
    'image/jpeg',
    'image/png',
    'application/pdf'
  ],
  maxFiles: 10,          // Maximum files per upload
  keepOriginalName: false // Randomize filenames for security
});

// Handle file upload
app.post('/upload', (req, res) => {
  // File info structure:
  const fileInfo = req.files.myfile;
  /*
  {
    name: 'original.jpg',          // Original filename
    newname: 'file-123456789.jpg', // Saved filename
    type: 'image/jpeg',            // MIME type
    size: 102400,                  // Size in bytes
    path: '/tmp/uploads/file-123456789.jpg', // Full path
    ext: '.jpg',                   // File extension
    mimetype: 'image/jpeg'         // MIME type (duplicate)
  }
  */
  
  // Process the file...
  
  res.json({ 
    success: true,
    file: {
      originalName: fileInfo.name,
      savedName: fileInfo.newname,
      size: fileInfo.size,
      url: `/uploads/${fileInfo.newname}`
    }
  });
});

// Clean up uploads (can be called periodically)
app.fileHandler.clearUploads();

Advanced File Handling

// Get a file stream for processing
app.get('/process-file/:filename', (req, res) => {
  const filePath = path.join(app.fileHandler.uploadDir, req.params.filename);
  try {
    const fileStream = app.fileHandler.getFileStream(filePath);
    fileStream.pipe(res);
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(404).send('File not found');
  }
});

// Remove a file
app.delete('/files/:filename', (req, res) => {
  const filePath = path.join(app.fileHandler.uploadDir, req.params.filename);
  const success = app.fileHandler.removeFile(filePath);
  res.json({ success });
});

Template Engine

Template Syntax

<!-- views/home.html -->
<h1>Welcome, {{user.name}}!</h1>

{{#if user.isAdmin}}
  <p>You have admin privileges</p>
{{else}}
  <p>Standard user</p>
{{/if}}

<ul>
  {{#each items}}
    <li>{{this.name}} - ${{this.price}}</li>
  {{/each}}
</ul>

Rendering Templates

// Configure view engine
app.setViewEngine('novax', {
  viewsPath: './views' // default
});

// Render template
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  app.render('home', {
    user: { name: 'John', isAdmin: true },
    items: [
      { name: 'Product 1', price: 19.99 },
      { name: 'Product 2', price: 29.99 }
    ]
  }).then(html => res.send(html));
});

Error Handling

Custom Error Pages

// 404 Not Found
app.on(404, () => `
  <h1>Page Not Found</h1>
  <p>The requested page could not be found</p>
`);

Error Middleware

app.error((err, req, res) => {
  return `
    <h1>Error ${err.statusCode || 500}</h1>
    <p>${err.message}</p>
    ${process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' ? `<pre>${err.stack}</pre>` : ''}
  `;
});

Plugins

Creating a Plugin

function databasePlugin(context) {
  // Add a method to the app
  context.addMethod('connectToDatabase', function(config) {
    this.dbConfig = config;
    // Implementation here
  });
  
  // Add middleware
  context.addMiddleware((req, res, next) => {
    req.db = getDatabaseConnection();
    next();
  });
  
  // Add configuration
  context.setConfig('database', { defaultLimit: 100 });
}

Using Plugins

// Use plugin
app.usePlugin(databasePlugin);

// Now we can use plugin methods
app.connectToDatabase({
  host: 'localhost',
  user: 'root',
  password: 'secret'
});

// And middleware is automatically added

Configuration

CORS Configuration

app.cors({
  origins: ['http://localhost:3000', 'https://example.com'],
  methods: 'GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS',
  headers: 'Content-Type, Authorization, X-Custom-Header',
  credentials: true
});

View Engine Configuration

app.setViewEngine('novax', {
  viewsPath: './templates' // Custom views directory
});

File Handling Configuration

// Complete file configuration
app.setFileConfig({
  maxSize: 100,               // Max file size in MB
  allowedTypes: [             // Allowed MIME types
    'image/jpeg',
    'image/png',
    'application/pdf'
  ],
  maxFiles: 5,                // Max files per upload
  keepOriginalName: false,    // Randomize filenames
  uploadDir: './custom-uploads' // Custom upload directory
});

// Or configure individually:
app.setFileSizeLimit(100); // 100MB
app.setAllowedFileTypes(['image/jpeg', 'image/png']);
app.setMaxFiles(10);
app.setKeepOriginalName(true);

🏗️ Architecture

NovaxJS follows these core principles:

Minimalist Core - Only essential features in the core
Extensible - Plugins for additional functionality
Unopinionated - Flexible structure for different use cases
Performance Focused - Optimized for speed and low memory usage
Security Conscious - Safe defaults and validation for all operations

📜 License

ISC License

novaxjs2