express-rest-http

name	express-rest-http
description	Maps Express endpoints to REST-ish resources with POST action verbs for mutations, mandatory security middleware, canonical status codes, OpenAPI documentation, pagination limit and offset, partial field queries, native fetch for outbound HTTP. Do not use when replacing Express with another server framework.

Express, REST-style HTTP APIs

Procedures

When designing controllers, routers, or HTTP clients alongside Express

1. Map HTTP handling exclusively through Express; do not substitute alternative routers or frameworks unless the repository explicitly deprecates Express.
2. Model collection resources using plural English nouns nested only where relationships require navigation (/playlists/:playlistId/videos).
3. Keep composite resource segments kebab-case (scheduled-events, process-payment).
4. Prevent routes deeper than roughly three navigable segments; reshape paths when chains become unwieldy, unless security partitioning demands explicit namespaces such as /public or scoped user routes (/users/:userId).
5. Represent deliberate mutations via POST with verb-like action segments instead of cramming verbs into rigid PUT /resource/:id patterns when business flows demand clarity (POST /users/:userId/change-password).
6. Transmit JSON payloads for request and response bodies unless a contract mandates another representation.
7. Apply authentication and authorization middleware to every surfaced route cluster; replicate existing security topology before diverging paths.
8. Return 200 for successful reads and commands when no alternative success code applies, 404 when entities are absent, 500 only for genuinely unexpected faults, 422 for business-rule violations surfaced to callers, 400 for malformed input, 401 when unauthenticated, 403 when authenticated but forbidden.
9. Maintain OpenAPI documentation enumerating verbs, payloads, headers, and response codes alongside handler implementations.
10. Add limit and offset query parameters for heavyweight list endpoints.
11. Support partial-response selection through query hints such as fields=id,name,createdAt when listing large aggregates.
12. Reach external HTTP services with native fetch (async / await, validate response.ok, parse structured bodies consciously) instead of layering convenience HTTP clients purely for ergonomics.

Error Handling

1. When ambiguity arises between REST purity and pragmatic action routes, prioritize documented POST verbs and OpenAPI narratives over silent divergences.
2. When outbound fetch calls fail intermittently, standardize retries and error translation at integration boundaries before controllers leak raw transport errors.