exa-reference-architecture

name	exa-reference-architecture
description	Implement Exa reference architecture with best-practice project layout. Use when designing new Exa integrations, reviewing project structure, or establishing architecture standards for Exa applications. Trigger with phrases like "exa architecture", "exa best practices", "exa project structure", "how to organize exa", "exa layout".
allowed-tools	Read, Grep
version	1.0.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>

Exa Reference Architecture

Overview

Production-ready architecture patterns for Exa integrations.

Prerequisites

• Understanding of layered architecture
• Exa SDK knowledge
• TypeScript project setup
• Testing framework configured

Project Structure

my-exa-project/
├── src/
│   ├── exa/
│   │   ├── client.ts           # Singleton client wrapper
│   │   ├── config.ts           # Environment configuration
│   │   ├── types.ts            # TypeScript types
│   │   ├── errors.ts           # Custom error classes
│   │   └── handlers/
│   │       ├── webhooks.ts     # Webhook handlers
│   │       └── events.ts       # Event processing
│   ├── services/
│   │   └── exa/
│   │       ├── index.ts        # Service facade
│   │       ├── sync.ts         # Data synchronization
│   │       └── cache.ts        # Caching layer
│   ├── api/
│   │   └── exa/
│   │       └── webhook.ts      # Webhook endpoint
│   └── jobs/
│       └── exa/
│           └── sync.ts         # Background sync job
├── tests/
│   ├── unit/
│   │   └── exa/
│   └── integration/
│       └── exa/
├── config/
│   ├── exa.development.json
│   ├── exa.staging.json
│   └── exa.production.json
└── docs/
    └── exa/
        ├── SETUP.md
        └── RUNBOOK.md

Layer Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│             API Layer                    │
│   (Controllers, Routes, Webhooks)        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│           Service Layer                  │
│  (Business Logic, Orchestration)         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          Exa Layer        │
│   (Client, Types, Error Handling)        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         Infrastructure Layer             │
│    (Cache, Queue, Monitoring)            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Components

Step 1: Client Wrapper

// src/exa/client.ts
export class ExaService {
  private client: ExaClient;
  private cache: Cache;
  private monitor: Monitor;

  constructor(config: ExaConfig) {
    this.client = new ExaClient(config);
    this.cache = new Cache(config.cacheOptions);
    this.monitor = new Monitor('exa');
  }

  async get(id: string): Promise<Resource> {
    return this.cache.getOrFetch(id, () =>
      this.monitor.track('get', () => this.client.get(id))
    );
  }
}

Step 2: Error Boundary

// src/exa/errors.ts
export class ExaServiceError extends Error {
  constructor(
    message: string,
    public readonly code: string,
    public readonly retryable: boolean,
    public readonly originalError?: Error
  ) {
    super(message);
    this.name = 'ExaServiceError';
  }
}

export function wrapExaError(error: unknown): ExaServiceError {
  // Transform SDK errors to application errors
}

Step 3: Health Check

// src/exa/health.ts
export async function checkExaHealth(): Promise<HealthStatus> {
  try {
    const start = Date.now();
    await exaClient.ping();
    return {
      status: 'healthy',
      latencyMs: Date.now() - start,
    };
  } catch (error) {
    return { status: 'unhealthy', error: error.message };
  }
}

Data Flow Diagram

User Request
     │
     ▼
┌─────────────┐
│   API       │
│   Gateway   │
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
│   Service   │───▶│   Cache     │
│   Layer     │    │   (Redis)   │
└──────┬──────┘    └─────────────┘
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│ Exa    │
│   Client    │
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│ Exa    │
│   API       │
└─────────────┘

Configuration Management

// config/exa.ts
export interface ExaConfig {
  apiKey: string;
  environment: 'development' | 'staging' | 'production';
  timeout: number;
  retries: number;
  cache: {
    enabled: boolean;
    ttlSeconds: number;
  };
}

export function loadExaConfig(): ExaConfig {
  const env = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
  return require(`./exa.${env}.json`);
}

Instructions

Step 1: Create Directory Structure

Set up the project layout following the reference structure above.

Step 2: Implement Client Wrapper

Create the singleton client with caching and monitoring.

Step 3: Add Error Handling

Implement custom error classes for Exa operations.

Step 4: Configure Health Checks

Add health check endpoint for Exa connectivity.

Output

• Structured project layout
• Client wrapper with caching
• Error boundary implemented
• Health checks configured

Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Solution
Circular dependencies	Wrong layering	Separate concerns by layer
Config not loading	Wrong paths	Verify config file locations
Type errors	Missing types	Add Exa types
Test isolation	Shared state	Use dependency injection

Examples

Quick Setup Script

# Create reference structure
mkdir -p src/exa/{handlers} src/services/exa src/api/exa
touch src/exa/{client,config,types,errors}.ts
touch src/services/exa/{index,sync,cache}.ts

Resources

• Exa SDK Documentation
• Exa Best Practices

Flagship Skills

For multi-environment setup, see exa-multi-env-setup.