Getting Started

Follow these steps to start using the NestJS Starter Kit.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later recommended)
• npm or yarn
• PostgreSQL database (optional - can run without database)

Creating a New Project

The easiest way to get started is by using our CLI:

npx nestjs-starter-kit my-project

This will create a new project in the my-project directory with all the starter kit features pre-configured.

Manual Installation

Alternatively, you can clone the repository:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/latreon/nest-starter-kit.git
cd nest-starter-kit

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables:

Create a .env file in the root of the project based on .env.example:

# Application
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
DATABASE_ENABLED=false  # Set to true if you want to use a database

# Database Configuration (required only if DATABASE_ENABLED=true)
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USERNAME=your_postgres_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_postgres_password
DB_NAME=nest_starter

# JWT Configuration
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
JWT_EXPIRATION=1d
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_refresh_secret_key
JWT_REFRESH_EXPIRATION=7d

# Throttling
THROTTLE_TTL=60
THROTTLE_LIMIT=10

# Swagger
SWAGGER_ENABLED=true

4. Running Without a Database

You can run the application without a database by setting:

DATABASE_ENABLED=false

In this mode, the application will use in-memory data with a mock user:

• Email: demo@example.com
• Password: password
• API Key: demo-api-key

This is useful for quick testing and development. Note that in this mode, most write operations (create/update/delete) will be disabled.

5. Running With a Database (Optional)

If you want to use a database:

• Set DATABASE_ENABLED=true in your .env file
• Create a PostgreSQL database with the name specified in your .env file:

psql -U postgres
CREATE DATABASE nest_starter;
\q

• Run database migrations:

npm run migration:run

6. Starting the Application

For development:

npm run start:dev

For production:

npm run build
npm run start:prod

The API server should now be running at http://localhost:3000.

When running in development mode, you can access the Swagger documentation at:

http://localhost:3000/api/docs

Project Structure

src/
├── app/                  # Application core
│   ├── common/           # Common utilities and helpers
│   └── modules/          # Feature modules
│       ├── auth/         # Authentication module
│       ├── user/         # User management module
│       └── shared/       # Shared services and utilities
├── config/               # Configuration settings
├── database/             # Database setup and migrations
└── main.ts               # Application entry point

API Endpoints

Authentication Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Protected
POST	/auth/login	User login	No
POST	/auth/logout	Logout user	Yes
POST	/auth/refresh	Refresh access token	No
GET	/auth/env	Get authentication environment	No
POST	/auth/2fa/enable	Enable two-factor authentication	Yes
POST	/auth/2fa/validate	Validate 2FA code	Yes

User Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Protected
POST	/users	Create a new user	Yes
GET	/users	Get all users	Yes
GET	/users/{id}	Get user by ID	Yes
PUT	/users/{id}	Update user	Yes
DELETE	/users/{id}	Delete user	Yes
GET	/users/profile	Get current user profile	Yes
PUT	/users/profile	Update current user profile	Yes

Next Steps

After setting up your project, check out the following sections to learn more about the features and how to use them:

• Setup Guide
• Authentication
• Database Configuration