Use the application generator tool, express-generator, to quickly create an application skeleton.
Install express-generator with the following command:
$ npm install express-generator -g
Display the command options with the -h option:
$ express -h
Usage: express [options] [dir]
Options:
-h, --help output usage information
-V, --version output the version number
-e, --ejs add ejs engine support (defaults to jade)
--hbs add handlebars engine support
-H, --hogan add hogan.js engine support
-c, --css <engine> add stylesheet <engine> support (less|stylus|compass|sass) (defaults to plain css)
--git add .gitignore
-f, --force force on non-empty directory
For example, the following creates an Express app named myapp in the current working directory:
$ express myapp create : myapp create : myapp/package.json create : myapp/app.js create : myapp/public create : myapp/public/javascripts create : myapp/public/images create : myapp/routes create : myapp/routes/index.js create : myapp/routes/users.js create : myapp/public/stylesheets create : myapp/public/stylesheets/style.css create : myapp/views create : myapp/views/index.jade create : myapp/views/layout.jade create : myapp/views/error.jade create : myapp/bin create : myapp/bin/www
Then install dependencies:
$ cd myapp $ npm install
On MacOS or Linux, run the app with this command:
$ DEBUG=myapp:* npm start
On Windows, use this command:
> set DEBUG=myapp:* & npm start
Then load http://localhost:3000/ in your browser to access the app.
The generated app has the following directory structure:
.
├── app.js
├── bin
│ └── www
├── package.json
├── public
│ ├── images
│ ├── javascripts
│ └── stylesheets
│ └── style.css
├── routes
│ ├── index.js
│ └── users.js
└── views
├── error.jade
├── index.jade
└── layout.jade
7 directories, 9 files
The app structure created by the generator is just one of many ways to structure Express apps. Feel free to use this structure or modify it to best suit your needs.
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