Timeless Principles for Building REST APIs

Tao of Node

125 evergreen rules for building Node.js applications.

6 chapters · 190 pages · $19

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Tao of Node Book Cover

Frameworks change. Principles don't.

This book focuses on timeless software design principles — not the framework of the month. Whether you use Express, Fastify, or whatever comes next, these rules still apply.

Structure your codebase, separate business logic from HTTP, write tests that survive refactors, and avoid the performance pitfalls that catch most teams off guard.

For developers who know the basics and want to build production software.

Principles, not tutorials

Don't
// Avoid handlers with many responsibilities
const handler = async (req, res) => {
  const { name, email } = req.body


  if (!isValidName(name)) {
    return res.status(httpStatus.BAD_REQUEST).send()
  }


  if (!isValidEmail(email)) {
    return res.status(httpStatus.BAD_REQUEST).send()
  }


  await queryBuilder('user').insert({ name, email })


  if (!isPromotionalPeriod()) {
    const promotionalCode = await queryBuilder
      .select('name')
      .from('promotional_codes')
      .where({ target: 'new_joiners' })


    transport.sendMail({
      // ...
    })
  }


  return res.status(httpStatus.CREATED).send(user)
}
Do
// Handlers should only handle HTTP logic
const handler = async (req, res) => {
  const { name, email } = req.body


  try {
    const user = userService.register(name, email)
    return res.status(httpStatus.CREATED).send(user)
  } catch (err) {
    return res
        .status(httpStatus.INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)
        .send()
  }
}

What's inside

Architecture

Structure, abstractions and business logic that make a codebase modular and extensible.

Tooling

Frameworks, databases, logging, monitoring and the supporting tools for your next project.

Testing

Principles that help you maintain quality and stability as your application grows.

Performance

Core performance principles to keep your services fast.

Serverless & GraphQL

Best practices for two technologies with great Node.js support.

Scenarios

Common problems and patterns — from extracting a microservice to refactoring existing projects.

Get the book

You buy me lunch and I tell you everything I know about Node & Express.

$19

eBook · 6 chapters · 125+ rules · 190 pages

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Not sure? Read a third of the book for free — read by 20K+ people, featured on Hacker News, JS Weekly and Node Weekly.

About the author

Alexander Kondov

Alexander Kondov

Software engineer, writer and author of Tao of React. I've used Node.js in both startups and large corporations and I want to help others learn the best practices around it.

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