LLaraNode
Guide

Project Structure

A typical LaraNode application follows a Laravel-inspired directory structure.

Project Structure

A typical LaraNode application follows a Laravel-inspired directory structure.

Default Structure

When you create a new project with create-vest, you get:

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── app/
│   │   ├── Events/          # Event classes
│   │   ├── Http/
│   │   │   ├── Controllers/ # HTTP controllers
│   │   │   └── Kernel.ts    # HTTP kernel
│   │   ├── Jobs/            # Queue job classes
│   │   ├── Listeners/       # Event listeners
│   │   ├── Mail/            # Mailable classes
│   │   ├── Middleware/      # Custom middleware
│   │   ├── Models/          # Database models
│   │   ├── Observers/       # Model observers
│   │   ├── Providers/       # Service providers
│   │   └── Services/        # Business logic services
│   ├── bootstrap/
│   │   └── app.ts           # Application bootstrap
│   ├── config/              # Configuration files
│   │   ├── app.config.ts
│   │   ├── database.config.ts
│   │   ├── cache.config.ts
│   │   ├── queue.config.ts
│   │   ├── mail.config.ts
│   │   └── horizon.config.ts
│   ├── database/
│   │   ├── migrations/      # Database migrations
│   │   └── seeders/         # Database seeders
│   ├── routes/
│   │   └── api.ts           # Route definitions
│   ├── artisan.ts           # CLI entry point
│   └── server.ts            # HTTP server entry point
├── .env                     # Environment variables
├── .env.example             # Example environment file
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Directory Descriptions

src/app/

Contains your application's business logic:

DirectoryPurpose
Events/Event classes that can be dispatched
Http/Controllers/HTTP controllers handling requests
Http/Kernel.tsHTTP kernel with middleware configuration
Jobs/Queueable job classes
Listeners/Event listener classes
Mail/Mailable email classes
Middleware/Custom HTTP middleware
Models/Database model classes
Observers/Model observer classes
Providers/Service provider classes
Services/Business logic service classes

src/bootstrap/

Application bootstrapping:

  • app.ts -- Creates the Application instance, registers service providers

src/config/

Configuration files for each package:

  • app.config.ts -- Application settings
  • database.config.ts -- Database connection settings
  • cache.config.ts -- Cache driver configuration
  • queue.config.ts -- Queue connection settings
  • mail.config.ts -- Mail driver settings
  • horizon.config.ts -- Horizon queue monitoring

src/database/

Database migrations and seeders:

  • migrations/ -- Timestamp-prefixed migration files
  • seeders/ -- Database seeder classes

src/routes/

Route definitions:

  • api.ts -- API route definitions
  • web.ts -- Web route definitions (if applicable)

Entry Points

  • src/server.ts -- HTTP server entry point
  • src/artisan.ts -- CLI entry point

Entry Point Files

server.ts

import { app } from "./bootstrap/app";
import "reflect-metadata";

async function bootstrap() {
  await app.boot();
  await app.listen(3000);
  console.log("Server running on http://localhost:3000");
}

bootstrap();

artisan.ts

import { Kernel } from "@lara-node/console";
import "reflect-metadata";

const kernel = new Kernel();
kernel.handle(process.argv);

Customizing Structure

You can customize the structure by modifying your service providers. The framework is flexible and doesn't enforce a strict directory layout.

Next Steps

Middleware

Middleware provides a convenient mechanism for filtering HTTP requests entering your application.

Service Providers

Service providers are the central place to configure and bootstrap your LaraNode application. They are the bridge between your application code and the IoC container.