# api-development

> Guidelines for building REST APIs with Express and TypeScript

- Author: Sajeel Ahmad
- Repository: Cjbuilds/Sheldon
- Version: 20260126231347
- Stars: 0
- Forks: 0
- Last Updated: 2026-02-07
- Source: https://github.com/Cjbuilds/Sheldon
- Web: https://mule.run/skillshub/@@Cjbuilds/Sheldon~api-development:20260126231347

---

---
name: api-development
description: Guidelines for building REST APIs with Express and TypeScript
version: "1.0.0"
author: sheldon-example
tags:
  - api
  - rest
  - express
  - typescript
requires_context:
  - schema.md
  - api-design.md
---

# API Development Skill

## Guidelines

1. Use Express Router for route organization
2. Use proper HTTP status codes (200, 201, 204, 400, 404, 500)
3. Validate all input with Zod schemas before processing
4. Use async route handlers with try/catch
5. Return consistent JSON response format with `data` wrapper

## Patterns

- **Route organization**: Group routes by resource in separate files
- **Validation**: Define Zod schemas alongside models, validate in route handlers
- **Error handling**: Use a centralized error handler middleware
- **Database access**: Use Knex query builder, never raw SQL strings
- **UUIDs**: Generate with `crypto.randomUUID()`

## Response Format

Success responses:
```json
{ "data": { ... } }
```

Error responses:
```json
{ "error": { "code": "ERROR_CODE", "message": "Description" } }
```

## File Structure

```
src/
  db/
    connection.ts      # Knex configuration
    migrations/        # Database migrations
  models/
    user.ts           # User model and Zod schema
    post.ts           # Post model and Zod schema
  routes/
    users.ts          # User route handlers
    posts.ts          # Post route handlers
  middleware/
    error-handler.ts  # Global error handler
  app.ts              # Express app setup
  index.ts            # Server entry point
```