Super simple Backbone + Express + MongoDB REST backend application

README.md

Requirements:

• Node.js
• MongoDB

If you're on OSX you're probably best off using Homebrew to install this stuff:

$ brew install node mongodb

Usage:

$ npm install express mongoq
$ node backend.js

I've also attached a sample frontend code for using the backend via Backbone

I highly recommend the Postman Chrome extension for experimenting with REST APIs in which case you can import the attached collection export.

backend.js

var express = require('express'),
    mongoq = require('mongoq');

var db = mongoq('test-database'); // Initialize database

var app = express.createServer();
app.use(express.bodyParser()); // Automatically parse JSON in POST requests
app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/public')); // Serve static files from public (e.g http://localhost:8080/index.html)
app.use(express.errorHandler({dumpExceptions: true, showStack: true})); // Dump errors

// Add score
app.post('/api/scores', function(req, res) {
    var score = req.body;
    score.id = Date.now().toString(); // You probably want to swap this for something like https://github.com/dylang/shortid

    db.collection('scores').insert(score, {safe: true}).done(function(score) {
        res.json(score, 201);
    });
});

// List scores (accepts skip and limit query parameters)
app.get('/api/scores', function(req, res) {
    db.collection('scores').find().skip(req.query.skip || 0).limit(req.query.limit || 0).toArray().done(function(scores) {
        res.json(scores);
    });
});

// Read score
app.get('/api/scores/:id', function(req, res) {
    db.collection('scores').findOne({id: req.params.id}).done(function(score) {
        res.json(score);
    });
});

// Update score (supports partial updates, e.g only send one field or all)
app.put('/api/scores/:id', function(req, res) {
    var score = req.body;

    db.collection('scores').update({id: req.params.id}, {$set: score}, {safe: true}).done(function(success) {
        res.json(success ? 200 : 404);
    });
});

// Delete score
app.del('/api/scores/:id', function(req, res) {
    db.collection('scores').remove({id: req.params.id}, {safe: true}).done(function(success) {
        res.json(success ? 200 : 404);
    });
});

app.listen(8080);

frontend.js

var scores = new Backbone.Collection();
scores.url = 'http://localhost:8080/scores';
scores.fetch(); // Executes a HTTP GET to get scores from server

var score = new Backbone.Model();
score.set({'points': 1337, 'name': 'Foo'});

scores.add(score); // Executes a HTTP POST to create a new score

score.set({'name': 'Bar'}); // Executes a HTTP PUT to update the score

score.destroy(); // Executes a HTTP DELETE to remove the score

postman-collection.json

{
    "id": "a62b331e-61c9-8891-7f60-abf135c54a9d",
    "name": "Scores",
    "timestamp": 1331189268220,
    "requests": [{
        "collectionId": "a62b331e-61c9-8891-7f60-abf135c54a9d",
        "id": "71912c90-f23a-f4e0-a822-c9a4402c475f",
        "name": "Delete score",
        "description": "",
        "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/scores/1331189244092",
        "method": "delete",
        "headers": "",
        "data": "",
        "dataMode": "raw",
        "timestamp": 0
    }, {
        "collectionId": "a62b331e-61c9-8891-7f60-abf135c54a9d",
        "id": "bc36c8d7-ff98-6ceb-31ee-b25524600b57",
        "name": "Create dummy score",
        "description": "",
        "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/scores",
        "method": "post",
        "headers": "Content-Type: application/json\n",
        "data": "{\"points\": 1337, \"name\": \"Foo\"}",
        "dataMode": "raw",
        "timestamp": 0
    }, {
        "collectionId": "a62b331e-61c9-8891-7f60-abf135c54a9d",
        "id": "c1884e4f-fc23-8242-992e-d027563227c3",
        "name": "Update score",
        "description": "",
        "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/scores/1331189866741",
        "method": "put",
        "headers": "Content-Type: application/json\n",
        "data": "{\n\t\t\"points\": 456,\n\t\t\"name\": \"Bar\"\n}",
        "dataMode": "raw",
        "timestamp": 0
    }, {
        "collectionId": "a62b331e-61c9-8891-7f60-abf135c54a9d",
        "id": "dfc4c181-e4d3-31fe-144b-eac2adf0278d",
        "name": "Get scores",
        "description": "",
        "url": "http://localhost:8080/api/scores",
        "method": "get",
        "headers": "",
        "data": "",
        "dataMode": "raw",
        "timestamp": 0
    }]
}