nest-conventions

NestJS Conventions

Module Structure

1 module = 1 bounded context. Each module encapsulates its own controllers, services, and providers.

// ✅ CORRECT - Self-contained module
@Module({
  imports: [SharedModule],
  controllers: [ReceiptController],
  providers: [
    ReceiptService,
    { provide: RECEIPT_REPOSITORY, useClass: DrizzleReceiptRepository },
  ],
  exports: [ReceiptService], // Only export what other modules need
})
export class ReceiptModule {}

File Naming

Type	Pattern	Example
Module	*.module.ts	receipt.module.ts
Controller	*.controller.ts	receipt.controller.ts
Service	*.service.ts	receipt.service.ts
Guard	*.guard.ts	auth.guard.ts
Pipe	*.pipe.ts	zod-validation.pipe.ts
Filter	*.filter.ts	http-exception.filter.ts
Interceptor	*.interceptor.ts	logging.interceptor.ts
Test	*.spec.ts	receipt.service.spec.ts

Thin Controllers

Controllers handle HTTP concerns only. Delegate all business logic to services.

// ❌ AVOID - Business logic in controller
@Controller('receipts')
export class ReceiptController {
  @Post()
  async create(@Body() dto: CreateReceiptDto) {
    const lease = await this.leaseRepo.findById(dto.leaseId);

    if (!lease) {
      throw new NotFoundException('Lease not found');
    }

    const amount = lease.monthlyRent;
    const receipt = { leaseId: dto.leaseId, amount, period: dto.period };
    return this.receiptRepo.save(receipt);
  }
}

// ✅ CORRECT - Controller delegates to service
@Controller('receipts')
export class ReceiptController {
  constructor(private readonly receiptService: ReceiptService) {}

  @Post()
  async create(@Body(ZodValidationPipe) dto: CreateReceiptDto) {
    return this.receiptService.generate(dto);
  }
}

Guards (Authentication / Authorization)

@Injectable()
export class AuthGuard implements CanActivate {
  canActivate(context: ExecutionContext): boolean {
    const request = context.switchToHttp().getRequest();
    const token = request.headers.authorization?.replace('Bearer ', '');

    if (!token) {
      throw new UnauthorizedException();
    }

    // Validate token...
    return true;
  }
}

// Usage: at controller or route level
@UseGuards(AuthGuard)
@Controller('receipts')
export class ReceiptController { ... }

Pipes (Validation)

Use a ZodValidationPipe for DTO validation with Zod schemas:

@Injectable()
export class ZodValidationPipe implements PipeTransform {
  constructor(private readonly schema: ZodSchema) {}

  transform(value: unknown) {
    const result = this.schema.safeParse(value);

    if (!result.success) {
      throw new BadRequestException(result.error.flatten());
    }

    return result.data;
  }
}

// Usage
@Post()
async create(
  @Body(new ZodValidationPipe(CreateReceiptSchema)) dto: CreateReceiptDto,
) {
  return this.receiptService.generate(dto);
}

See also: zod-conventions for Zod schema patterns.

Exception Filters

Centralized error handling:

@Catch(HttpException)
export class HttpExceptionFilter implements ExceptionFilter {
  catch(exception: HttpException, host: ArgumentsHost) {
    const ctx = host.switchToHttp();
    const response = ctx.getResponse();
    const status = exception.getStatus();

    response.status(status).json({
      statusCode: status,
      message: exception.message,
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
    });
  }
}

// Register globally in main.ts
app.useGlobalFilters(new HttpExceptionFilter());

Dependency Injection

Token-based injection for interfaces

// Define token
export const RECEIPT_REPOSITORY = Symbol('ReceiptRepository');

// Register in module
@Module({
  providers: [
    { provide: RECEIPT_REPOSITORY, useClass: DrizzleReceiptRepository },
  ],
})

// Inject in service
@Injectable()
export class ReceiptService {
  constructor(
    @Inject(RECEIPT_REPOSITORY) private readonly repo: ReceiptRepository,
  ) {}
}

Prefer constructor injection

// ✅ CORRECT - Constructor injection
@Injectable()
export class ReceiptService {
  constructor(private readonly repo: ReceiptRepository) {}
}

// ❌ AVOID - Property injection
@Injectable()
export class ReceiptService {
  @Inject() repo: ReceiptRepository;
}

Quick Reference

Rule	Convention
Module scope	1 module = 1 bounded context
Controllers	Thin — delegate to services
Validation	ZodValidationPipe in @Body()
Auth	Guards at controller/route level
Error handling	Global exception filters
DI for interfaces	Symbol tokens + @Inject()
DI style	Constructor injection only
File naming	feature.type.ts pattern