Node.js Patterns

When to use this skill

Use this skill when working in Node.js services/CLIs and you want predictable async behavior, safe boundaries, and good operational defaults.

Core patterns

Async all the way

Rules:

• await IO
• set timeouts on network calls
• handle rejection paths explicitly

Boundary validation

Validate:

• request payloads
• env vars
• filesystem paths

Prefer a single validation point over scattered checks.

Structured logging

Prefer:

• consistent event names
• correlation IDs
• avoid logging secrets

Shutdown and cleanup

Services should handle:

• SIGINT/SIGTERM
• closing DB pools
• stopping servers gracefully

Dependency hygiene

• avoid huge transitive deps for small tasks
• keep lockfiles committed

Atlarix tool notes

• Explore: locate package.json scripts, entry points, and config.
• Build: run the project’s test/lint scripts; keep diffs small.
• Debug: reproduce errors in terminal; capture complete stack traces.
• Review: check for missing timeouts and unsafe input handling.

Common mistakes to avoid

• No timeouts on outbound requests
• Logging secrets
• Global mutable state that grows unbounded

Mini-checklist

• Inputs validated
• Errors handled
• Logs structured
• Shutdown graceful