Purpose

This script generates an Express web server app using the openapi-backend library for request validation and routing. It creates a folder heirarchy for the handlers in which the business logic can be developed to respond to HTTP REST API requests.

• Author: Mike Ackerman
• Date: 4/3/2026

Instructions for Creating the App

1. Create a valid OpenAPI 3.0 specification in JSON format:

This step is important to perform in a thorough manner. Once the app is generated from this spec, there is no script to incrementally update app if the OpenAPI spec changes, so future changes are manually applied.

• use the Swagger Editor to assist in validation of the spec: https://editor.swagger.io/
• each path/verb must have a unique operation ID that mimics the folder structure of the handlers. Here are some examples of how the operationId should be set:
  • GET /hello: "operationId": "hello_get"
  • POST /hello: "operationId": "hello_post"
  • GET /persons/{id}/addresses: "operationId": "persons_{id}_addresses_get"

2. Save the OpenAPI spec in the same directory as this script

3. Run these BASH commands:

1. Create and enter your new project folder

mkdir my-new-api && cd my-new-api

2. Initialize the Node environment

npm init -y

npm install express openapi-backend ajv-formats

3. Run the scaffold script (assuming is in same parent folder as your project)

node ../openapiNodeScafolding/scaffold.js ../openapiNodeScafolding/your-spec.json

6. Open the new folder in VS Code

BASH: code .

7. Run the app

BASH: node app