backend-fundamentals

name	backend-fundamentals
description	Reviews API design, REST conventions, and backend architecture. Use when junior builds API endpoints, Express routes, middleware, controllers, or asks "is this RESTful", "check my endpoint". Use when this capability is needed.
metadata	{"author":"danielpodolsky"}

Backend Fundamentals Review

"APIs are contracts. Break them, and you break trust."

When to Apply

Activate this skill when reviewing:

• API route handlers
• Express/Fastify/Hono middleware
• Database queries and models
• Authentication/authorization logic
• Server-side business logic

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Review Checklist

API Design

• RESTful: Do routes follow REST conventions? (GET for read, POST for create, etc.)
• Naming: Are endpoints nouns, not verbs? (/users not /getUsers)
• Versioning: Is API versioned for future changes? (/api/v1/)
• Status Codes: Are correct HTTP status codes returned?

Separation of Concerns

• Routes: Do routes only handle HTTP concerns (req/res)?
• Controllers: Is business logic in controllers/services, not routes?
• Services: Is data access abstracted from business logic?
• Models: Are models responsible only for data shape/validation?

Error Handling

• Try/Catch: Are async operations wrapped properly?
• Error Responses: Are errors returned with proper status codes?
• Logging: Are errors logged with context?
• No Leaks: Are internal errors hidden from clients?

Security

• Input Validation: Is ALL input validated before use?
• Authentication: Are protected routes actually protected?
• Authorization: Can users only access their own data?
• Rate Limiting: Are endpoints protected from abuse?

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Common Mistakes (Anti-Patterns)

1. Fat Routes

❌ app.post('/users', async (req, res) => {
     // 100 lines of validation, business logic, DB queries
   });

✅ app.post('/users', validateUser, userController.create);

2. No Input Validation

❌ const { email } = req.body;
   await db.query(`SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '${email}'`);

✅ const { email } = validateBody(req.body, userSchema);
   await User.findByEmail(email); // parameterized

3. Wrong Status Codes

❌ res.status(200).json({ error: 'Not found' });

✅ res.status(404).json({ error: 'User not found' });

4. Leaking Internal Errors

❌ catch (error) {
     res.status(500).json({ error: error.message, stack: error.stack });
   }

✅ catch (error) {
     logger.error('User creation failed', { error, userId });
     res.status(500).json({ error: 'Something went wrong' });
   }

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Socratic Questions

Ask the junior these questions instead of giving answers:

1. Architecture: "If I wanted to switch from Express to Fastify, what would need to change?"
2. Validation: "What happens if someone sends malformed JSON?"
3. Auth: "How do you know this user owns this resource?"
4. Errors: "What does the client see when the database is down?"
5. Testing: "How would you test this endpoint in isolation?"

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HTTP Status Code Reference

Code	When to Use
200	Success (with body)
201	Created (after POST)
204	Success (no content, after DELETE)
400	Bad request (validation failed)
401	Unauthorized (not logged in)
403	Forbidden (logged in but not allowed)
404	Not found
409	Conflict (duplicate resource)
500	Server error (hide details from client)

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Architecture Layers

Request → Route → Controller → Service → Repository → Database
                     ↓
              Middleware (auth, validation, logging)

Layer	Responsibility
Route	HTTP verbs, paths, middleware chain
Controller	Request/response handling, calling services
Service	Business logic, orchestration
Repository	Data access, queries

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Red Flags to Call Out

Flag	Question to Ask
SQL in route handler	"Should data access be in a separate layer?"
No try/catch on async	"What happens if this fails?"
req.body used directly	"What if someone sends unexpected fields?"
Hardcoded secrets	"How would this work in production?"
No pagination on list endpoints	"What if there are 10,000 records?"

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