How did you approach building a JavaScript backend for your project?

Hey everyone,

I’m working on a project and I’m stuck trying to decide how to set up my backend. I’ve got the frontend sorted with Nuxt, but now I need to figure out the server side.

I want to stick with TypeScript and need the usual stuff:

  • API endpoints
  • Database connections (thinking PostgreSQL)
  • Integration with external services (email, payments, AI, etc.)

I’m considering a few options:

  1. Use a Node.js/Express starter kit
  2. Try Supabase (worried about less control though)
  3. Just use Nuxt’s built-in server directory

I definitely want easy auth, but I’m not sure which way to go. Has anyone been in this situation before? What did you choose and how did it work out?

Thanks for any advice!

have u considered using nestjs? it’s awesome for typescript backends! i’ve used it for a few projects and it’s super organized. plus, it has great support for databases and auth. what kinda external services are u thinking of integrating? maybe we could brainstorm some cool ideas for ur project!

yo, have u looked into Koa? its pretty lightweight and works great with typescript. i used it for a project last year and it was super easy to set up api endpoints and connect to postgres. plus, u can add middleware for auth and stuff. might be worth checkin out if u want more control than supabase but dont wanna deal with all the express boilerplate

For your JavaScript backend, I’d recommend exploring Fastify. It’s a high-performance web framework that’s gaining traction in the Node.js ecosystem. Fastify excels in TypeScript support and offers excellent plugin architecture for easy integration of databases and external services. Its low overhead and ability to handle a large number of concurrent connections make it ideal for scalable applications. Additionally, Fastify’s built-in validation using JSON Schema can significantly reduce boilerplate code. While it may have a steeper learning curve compared to Express, the performance gains and developer-friendly features are well worth the investment in my experience.