TypeScript Backend Starter

Project Structure

Copy.
├── dist/               # Compiled JavaScript output
├── src/                # Source TypeScript code
│   └── index.ts        # Entry point
├── nodemon.json        # Nodemon config
├── package.json        # NPM config and scripts
├── tsconfig.json       # TypeScript compiler config
└── README.md           # This guide

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+ recommended)

• npm or yarn

Setup

1. Initialize the Project

Copymkdir backend
cd backend

then run below command

Copynpm init -y

2. Install Dev Dependencies

Copynpm install -D typescript ts-node ts-node-dev nodemon @types/node @types/express

• ts-node is used for running TypeScript files directly.

• nodemon is used for hot-reloading during development.

• @types provide TypeScript type definitions.

File & Configuration Setup

3. tsconfig.json

Create a tsconfig.json file to configure TypeScript:

Copy{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2020",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "rootDir": "src",
    "outDir": "dist",
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "strict": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true
  }
}

4. nodemon.json

Create a nodemon.json to tell Nodemon how to run your app:

Copy{
  "watch": ["src"],
  "ext": "ts",
  "exec": "ts-node src/index.ts"
}

5. src/index.ts

Create the main entry file:

Copy// src/index.ts
import express from "express";

const app = express();
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

app.get("/", (_req, res) => {
  res.send("Hello, TypeScript Backend!");
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});

package.json Scripts

Update your scripts in package.json:

Copy"scripts": {
  "dev": "nodemon",
  "build": "tsc",
  "start": "node dist/index.js"
}

• npm run dev – Start the dev server with hot reload

• npm run build – Compile TypeScript to JavaScript

• npm start – Run the compiled app from dist/

Run the app

Start in development mode:

Copynpm run dev

Build and run production:

Copynpm run build
npm start

Optional Improvements

• Add .env and use dotenv for environment variables

• Add ESLint + Prettier for code quality

• Add express and related middlewares

Recommended Next Steps

• Setup Express routes and middleware

• Add a database (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, etc.)

• Add validation using libraries like express-validator or zod