Agent skill
backend-master
Master skill for TypeScript backend development. Decision framework for APIs (tRPC/REST), authentication (Auth.js/Passport), database (Prisma), validation (Zod), logging (Pino), testing (Vitest), and deployment (Docker). Routes to specialized skills for implementation. Use as entry point for any backend task.
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SKILL.md
Backend Master Skill
Unified decision framework for TypeScript backend development.
Stack: Node.js · TypeScript · tRPC/Express · Prisma · Zod · Vitest · Docker
Quick Decision Matrix
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
│
├─► API Layer
│ ├─ Full-stack TypeScript app → tRPC [skill: backend-trpc]
│ ├─ Need REST for external clients → tRPC + OpenAPI [skill: backend-trpc-openapi]
│ └─ Pure Express API → Express + Zod
│
├─► Authentication
│ ├─ Next.js App Router → Auth.js [skill: backend-auth-js]
│ └─ Express/pure API → Passport.js [skill: backend-passport-js]
│
├─► Database
│ └─ TypeScript + SQL → Prisma [skill: backend-prisma]
│
├─► Validation
│ └─ Any input validation → Zod [skill: backend-zod]
│
├─► Observability
│ └─ Structured logging → Pino [skill: backend-pino]
│
├─► Testing
│ └─ Unit/integration tests → Vitest [skill: backend-vitest]
│
└─► Deployment
└─ Containerization → Docker [skill: docker-node]
1. Project Setup Checklist
New tRPC + Prisma Project
# Initialize
mkdir my-api && cd my-api
npm init -y
# Core dependencies
npm install @trpc/server zod @prisma/client pino
npm install -D typescript @types/node prisma vitest
# Initialize TypeScript
npx tsc --init
# Initialize Prisma
npx prisma init
Recommended tsconfig.json
{
"compilerOptions": {
"target": "ES2022",
"module": "NodeNext",
"moduleResolution": "NodeNext",
"strict": true,
"esModuleInterop": true,
"skipLibCheck": true,
"outDir": "dist",
"rootDir": "src",
"declaration": true,
"resolveJsonModule": true,
"baseUrl": ".",
"paths": {
"@/*": ["src/*"]
}
},
"include": ["src/**/*"],
"exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}
Recommended Structure
src/
├── server/
│ ├── trpc.ts # tRPC instance, base procedures
│ ├── context.ts # Request context
│ └── routers/
│ ├── _app.ts # Root router (merges all)
│ ├── user.ts # User procedures
│ └── post.ts # Post procedures
├── lib/
│ ├── prisma.ts # Prisma singleton
│ ├── logger.ts # Pino configuration
│ └── env.ts # Environment validation
├── schemas/
│ ├── user.schema.ts # User Zod schemas
│ └── common.schema.ts # Shared schemas
├── middleware/
│ ├── auth.ts # Auth middleware
│ └── logging.ts # Request logging
└── index.ts # Entry point
prisma/
├── schema.prisma # Database schema
└── migrations/ # Migration history
test/
├── setup.ts # Test setup
└── context.ts # Mock context factory
2. API Layer Decision
tRPC vs REST Decision Tree
Building an API?
│
├─► Who are the clients?
│ │
│ ├─► Only TypeScript (Next.js, React)
│ │ └─► Pure tRPC ✓
│ │ - End-to-end type safety
│ │ - No code generation
│ │ - Automatic request batching
│ │
│ ├─► TypeScript + external clients (mobile, third-party)
│ │ └─► tRPC + OpenAPI ✓
│ │ - Type-safe internal API
│ │ - REST endpoints for external
│ │ - Swagger documentation
│ │
│ └─► Only external/non-TypeScript clients
│ └─► Express + OpenAPI ✓
│ - Standard REST
│ - Maximum compatibility
tRPC Quick Setup
→ See [backend-trpc] for full guide
// src/server/trpc.ts
import { initTRPC, TRPCError } from '@trpc/server';
import { z } from 'zod';
interface Context {
user?: { id: string; role: string };
db: PrismaClient;
log: Logger;
}
const t = initTRPC.context<Context>().create();
export const router = t.router;
export const publicProcedure = t.procedure;
export const middleware = t.middleware;
// Auth middleware
const isAuthed = middleware(async ({ ctx, next }) => {
if (!ctx.user) throw new TRPCError({ code: 'UNAUTHORIZED' });
return next({ ctx: { user: ctx.user } });
});
export const protectedProcedure = publicProcedure.use(isAuthed);
When to Add OpenAPI
→ See [backend-trpc-openapi] for full guide
// Add OpenAPI meta to expose as REST
.meta({
openapi: {
method: 'GET',
path: '/users/{id}',
tags: ['Users'],
},
})
| Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Internal TypeScript clients | Pure tRPC |
| Third-party integrations | tRPC + OpenAPI |
| Public API documentation | tRPC + OpenAPI |
| Mobile apps (non-React Native) | tRPC + OpenAPI |
| Microservices (mixed languages) | OpenAPI/REST |
3. Authentication Decision
Auth.js vs Passport.js
Need authentication?
│
├─► Next.js App Router?
│ └─► Auth.js (NextAuth.js v5) ✓
│ - Native Next.js integration
│ - OAuth providers built-in
│ - Serverless/Edge ready
│
└─► Express.js / Pure API?
└─► Passport.js ✓
- JWT authentication
- 500+ strategies
- Maximum control
Auth.js Quick Setup (Next.js)
→ See [backend-auth-js] for full guide
// auth.ts
import NextAuth from 'next-auth';
import GitHub from 'next-auth/providers/github';
import { PrismaAdapter } from '@auth/prisma-adapter';
export const { handlers, auth, signIn, signOut } = NextAuth({
adapter: PrismaAdapter(prisma),
session: { strategy: 'jwt' },
providers: [GitHub],
callbacks: {
jwt({ token, user }) {
if (user) token.id = user.id;
return token;
},
session({ session, token }) {
session.user.id = token.id as string;
return session;
},
},
});
Passport.js Quick Setup (Express)
→ See [backend-passport-js] for full guide
// src/strategies/jwt.strategy.ts
import passport from 'passport';
import { Strategy as JwtStrategy, ExtractJwt } from 'passport-jwt';
passport.use(new JwtStrategy({
jwtFromRequest: ExtractJwt.fromAuthHeaderAsBearerToken(),
secretOrKey: process.env.JWT_SECRET!,
}, async (payload, done) => {
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: payload.sub } });
return done(null, user || false);
}));
| Feature | Auth.js | Passport.js |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Next.js | Express |
| OAuth setup | Minimal | Manual |
| JWT support | Built-in | passport-jwt |
| Session storage | JWT/DB | Manual |
| Serverless | Yes | Limited |
| Strategies | ~20 | 500+ |
4. Database Layer (Prisma)
→ See [backend-prisma] for full guide
Singleton Pattern (Required)
// src/lib/prisma.ts
import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';
const globalForPrisma = globalThis as unknown as { prisma: PrismaClient };
export const prisma = globalForPrisma.prisma || new PrismaClient({
log: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development'
? ['query', 'error', 'warn']
: ['error'],
});
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') globalForPrisma.prisma = prisma;
Essential Schema Patterns
// prisma/schema.prisma
model User {
id String @id @default(cuid())
email String @unique
name String?
role Role @default(USER)
posts Post[]
createdAt DateTime @default(now())
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt
@@index([email])
}
model Post {
id String @id @default(cuid())
title String @db.VarChar(255)
published Boolean @default(false)
author User @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
authorId String
@@index([authorId])
@@index([createdAt(sort: Desc)])
}
enum Role {
USER
ADMIN
}
Migration Commands
npx prisma migrate dev --name init # Development
npx prisma migrate deploy # Production
npx prisma generate # Regenerate client
npx prisma studio # GUI viewer
5. Validation Layer (Zod)
→ See [backend-zod] for full guide
Core Patterns
// src/schemas/user.schema.ts
import { z } from 'zod';
// Base schema
export const UserSchema = z.object({
id: z.string().cuid(),
email: z.string().email(),
name: z.string().min(2).max(100),
role: z.enum(['USER', 'ADMIN']),
});
// Derive variations
export const CreateUserSchema = UserSchema.omit({ id: true });
export const UpdateUserSchema = CreateUserSchema.partial();
// Infer types
export type User = z.infer<typeof UserSchema>;
export type CreateUser = z.infer<typeof CreateUserSchema>;
Common Schemas
// src/schemas/common.schema.ts
export const PaginationSchema = z.object({
limit: z.number().min(1).max(100).default(10),
cursor: z.string().optional(),
});
export const IdSchema = z.object({
id: z.string().cuid(),
});
// Environment validation
export const EnvSchema = z.object({
NODE_ENV: z.enum(['development', 'production', 'test']),
DATABASE_URL: z.string().url(),
JWT_SECRET: z.string().min(32),
PORT: z.coerce.number().default(3000),
});
export const env = EnvSchema.parse(process.env);
Zod + tRPC Integration
// Zod validates input automatically
export const userRouter = router({
create: protectedProcedure
.input(CreateUserSchema)
.mutation(({ input, ctx }) => {
// input is typed as CreateUser
return ctx.db.user.create({ data: input });
}),
});
6. Logging (Pino)
→ See [backend-pino] for full guide
Configuration
// src/lib/logger.ts
import pino from 'pino';
const isDev = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development';
export const logger = pino({
level: process.env.LOG_LEVEL || (isDev ? 'debug' : 'info'),
transport: isDev ? {
target: 'pino-pretty',
options: { colorize: true },
} : undefined,
redact: {
paths: ['password', 'token', '*.password', 'req.headers.authorization'],
censor: '[REDACTED]',
},
base: {
service: process.env.SERVICE_NAME || 'api',
env: process.env.NODE_ENV,
},
});
Request Logging Middleware
// src/middleware/logging.ts
export function requestLogger(req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) {
const requestId = req.headers['x-request-id'] || randomUUID();
const start = Date.now();
req.log = logger.child({ requestId, method: req.method, path: req.path });
req.log.info('Request started');
res.on('finish', () => {
req.log.info({ statusCode: res.statusCode, duration: Date.now() - start }, 'Request completed');
});
next();
}
Structured Logging Rules
// ❌ String interpolation
logger.info(`User ${userId} logged in from ${ip}`);
// ✅ Structured objects
logger.info({ userId, ip, action: 'login' }, 'User logged in');
7. Testing (Vitest)
→ See [backend-vitest] for full guide
Configuration
// vitest.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config';
import tsconfigPaths from 'vite-tsconfig-paths';
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [tsconfigPaths()],
test: {
globals: true,
environment: 'node',
include: ['**/*.test.ts'],
setupFiles: ['./test/setup.ts'],
coverage: {
provider: 'v8',
include: ['src/**/*.ts'],
},
},
});
Mock Context Factory
// test/context.ts
import { mockDeep, DeepMockProxy } from 'vitest-mock-extended';
import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';
export type MockContext = {
prisma: DeepMockProxy<PrismaClient>;
user: { id: string; role: string } | null;
};
export const createMockContext = (user = null): MockContext => ({
prisma: mockDeep<PrismaClient>(),
user,
});
Testing tRPC Procedures
// src/server/routers/user.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
import { createCallerFactory } from '../trpc';
import { userRouter } from './user';
import { createMockContext } from '@/test/context';
describe('User Router', () => {
let mockCtx: MockContext;
const createCaller = createCallerFactory(userRouter);
beforeEach(() => {
mockCtx = createMockContext();
});
it('should return user by id', async () => {
const mockUser = { id: '1', email: 'test@example.com', name: 'Test' };
mockCtx.prisma.user.findUnique.mockResolvedValue(mockUser);
const caller = createCaller(mockCtx);
const result = await caller.getById({ id: '1' });
expect(result).toEqual(mockUser);
});
it('should reject unauthenticated create', async () => {
const caller = createCaller(mockCtx); // user is null
await expect(caller.create({ email: 'new@example.com', name: 'New' }))
.rejects.toThrow('UNAUTHORIZED');
});
});
Test Scripts
{
"scripts": {
"test": "vitest",
"test:run": "vitest run",
"test:coverage": "vitest run --coverage"
}
}
8. Deployment (Docker)
→ See [docker-node] for full guide
Multi-Stage Dockerfile
# Stage 1: Dependencies
FROM node:20-alpine AS deps
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production && npm cache clean --force
# Stage 2: Build
FROM node:20-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY tsconfig.json ./
COPY prisma ./prisma/
COPY src ./src/
RUN npx prisma generate
RUN npm run build
# Stage 3: Production
FROM node:20-alpine AS runner
WORKDIR /app
ENV NODE_ENV=production
RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs && adduser -S nodejs -u 1001 -G nodejs
COPY --from=deps --chown=nodejs:nodejs /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=builder --chown=nodejs:nodejs /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=builder --chown=nodejs:nodejs /app/prisma ./prisma
COPY --from=builder --chown=nodejs:nodejs /app/node_modules/.prisma ./node_modules/.prisma
USER nodejs
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["sh", "-c", "npx prisma migrate deploy && node dist/index.js"]
Docker Compose (Development)
# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
app:
build:
context: .
target: builder
ports:
- "3000:3000"
environment:
NODE_ENV: development
DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/myapp
volumes:
- ./src:/app/src:delegated
depends_on:
postgres:
condition: service_healthy
command: npm run dev
postgres:
image: postgres:15-alpine
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
POSTGRES_DB: myapp
ports:
- "5432:5432"
volumes:
- postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres"]
interval: 5s
timeout: 5s
retries: 10
volumes:
postgres_data:
Commands
# Development
docker-compose up # Start all
docker-compose up --build # Rebuild
docker-compose down -v # Stop + reset DB
# Production
docker build -t myapp:latest .
docker run -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env.production myapp:latest
9. Security Checklist
Authentication
✓ Hash passwords with argon2/bcrypt
✓ Use short-lived access tokens (15min)
✓ Store refresh tokens in httpOnly cookies
✓ Validate JWT on every request
✓ Use HTTPS in production
Input Validation
✓ Validate ALL inputs with Zod
✓ Use z.coerce for query parameters
✓ Sanitize user-generated content
✓ Limit request body size
Database
✓ Use Prisma (prevents SQL injection)
✓ Never expose raw database errors
✓ Use transactions for multi-step operations
✓ Add indexes for frequent queries
Logging
✓ Redact sensitive data (passwords, tokens)
✓ Include request IDs for tracing
✓ Don't log PII in production
✓ Use structured JSON logs
10. Error Handling
tRPC Error Codes
| Code | HTTP | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
BAD_REQUEST |
400 | Invalid input |
UNAUTHORIZED |
401 | No/invalid auth |
FORBIDDEN |
403 | No permission |
NOT_FOUND |
404 | Resource missing |
CONFLICT |
409 | Already exists |
INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR |
500 | Unexpected error |
Error Handling Pattern
import { TRPCError } from '@trpc/server';
// In procedures
const user = await ctx.db.user.findUnique({ where: { id } });
if (!user) {
throw new TRPCError({ code: 'NOT_FOUND', message: 'User not found' });
}
// Global error formatter
const t = initTRPC.context<Context>().create({
errorFormatter({ shape, error }) {
return {
...shape,
data: {
...shape.data,
zodError: error.cause instanceof z.ZodError
? error.cause.flatten()
: null,
},
};
},
});
11. Common Patterns
Cursor-Based Pagination
list: publicProcedure
.input(z.object({
limit: z.number().min(1).max(100).default(10),
cursor: z.string().optional(),
}))
.query(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
const items = await ctx.db.post.findMany({
take: input.limit + 1,
cursor: input.cursor ? { id: input.cursor } : undefined,
orderBy: { createdAt: 'desc' },
});
let nextCursor: string | undefined;
if (items.length > input.limit) {
nextCursor = items.pop()?.id;
}
return { items, nextCursor };
}),
Role-Based Authorization
const hasRole = (role: string) => middleware(async ({ ctx, next }) => {
if (ctx.user?.role !== role) {
throw new TRPCError({ code: 'FORBIDDEN' });
}
return next();
});
export const adminProcedure = protectedProcedure.use(hasRole('ADMIN'));
Transactions
const result = await ctx.db.$transaction(async (tx) => {
const sender = await tx.account.update({
where: { id: senderId },
data: { balance: { decrement: amount } },
});
if (sender.balance < 0) throw new Error('Insufficient funds');
await tx.account.update({
where: { id: receiverId },
data: { balance: { increment: amount } },
});
return sender;
});
12. Skill Reference Map
| Task | Primary Skill | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Type-safe API | backend-trpc | Full-stack TypeScript |
| REST endpoints | backend-trpc-openapi | External clients need REST |
| Next.js auth | backend-auth-js | OAuth, sessions in Next.js |
| Express auth | backend-passport-js | JWT APIs, custom auth |
| Database ORM | backend-prisma | Any SQL database |
| Input validation | backend-zod | ALL input validation |
| Structured logging | backend-pino | Production observability |
| Unit testing | backend-vitest | tRPC, Zod, utilities |
| Containerization | docker-node | Deployment, CI/CD |
13. Quick Start Templates
Complete tRPC Router
// src/server/routers/user.ts
import { z } from 'zod';
import { router, publicProcedure, protectedProcedure } from '../trpc';
import { TRPCError } from '@trpc/server';
const CreateUserSchema = z.object({
email: z.string().email(),
name: z.string().min(2).max(100),
});
export const userRouter = router({
getById: publicProcedure
.input(z.object({ id: z.string() }))
.query(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
const user = await ctx.db.user.findUnique({ where: { id: input.id } });
if (!user) throw new TRPCError({ code: 'NOT_FOUND' });
return user;
}),
list: publicProcedure
.input(z.object({
limit: z.number().min(1).max(100).default(10),
cursor: z.string().optional(),
}))
.query(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
const items = await ctx.db.user.findMany({
take: input.limit + 1,
cursor: input.cursor ? { id: input.cursor } : undefined,
orderBy: { createdAt: 'desc' },
});
let nextCursor: string | undefined;
if (items.length > input.limit) nextCursor = items.pop()?.id;
return { items, nextCursor };
}),
create: protectedProcedure
.input(CreateUserSchema)
.mutation(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
return ctx.db.user.create({ data: input });
}),
update: protectedProcedure
.input(z.object({
id: z.string(),
name: z.string().min(2).optional(),
}))
.mutation(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
const { id, ...data } = input;
return ctx.db.user.update({ where: { id }, data });
}),
delete: protectedProcedure
.input(z.object({ id: z.string() }))
.mutation(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
await ctx.db.user.delete({ where: { id: input.id } });
return { success: true };
}),
});
Express Server with tRPC
// src/index.ts
import express from 'express';
import cors from 'cors';
import { createExpressMiddleware } from '@trpc/server/adapters/express';
import { appRouter } from './server/routers/_app';
import { createContext } from './server/context';
import { logger } from './lib/logger';
import { requestLogger } from './middleware/logging';
const app = express();
app.use(cors());
app.use(express.json());
app.use(requestLogger);
app.get('/health', async (req, res) => {
try {
await prisma.$queryRaw`SELECT 1`;
res.json({ status: 'healthy' });
} catch {
res.status(503).json({ status: 'unhealthy' });
}
});
app.use('/trpc', createExpressMiddleware({
router: appRouter,
createContext,
}));
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(port, () => {
logger.info({ port }, 'Server started');
});
External Resources
- tRPC: https://trpc.io/docs
- Prisma: https://prisma.io/docs
- Zod: https://zod.dev
- Auth.js: https://authjs.dev
- Passport.js: https://passportjs.org
- Pino: https://getpino.io
- Vitest: https://vitest.dev
- Docker: https://docs.docker.com
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