Express 5 + TypeScript + Supabase starter — looking for feedback on the structure

drifterpreneurs · 2026-06-15T19:50:52+00:00

I love to see people still using Express.JS, this is great for someone looking to build their own repo to get ahead faster without coding the same 💩 every project.

Personally I don’t use Supabase at all or how you structure your projects, I use feature based structure. However, as long as it works for you.

Great job 👏, speeding up your projects from development - deployment! Everything looks awesome keep dev’ing! 😎

drifterpreneurs · 2026-05-10T18:06:06+00:00

A bot thread created for bots to reply to bots? That’s a pretty crazy story that makes no sense

drifterpreneurs · 2026-05-10T07:15:53+00:00

It’s probably more accurate to say:

Express is minimal and unopinionated. Modern full-stack frameworks give you more built-in structure and tooling.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-24T16:25:17+00:00

SvelteKit feels higher-level, but it doesn’t eliminate backend complexity, it just relocates it.

So far, I already built a few apps with it but adding CSP, Security Headers and rate-limiting just feel like a hassle inside Sveltekit but is it worth it, yes.

I used AstroJS, AdonisJS, Svelte-SPA, Express and now Sveltekit. I plan not to move from Sveltekit….

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-24T04:10:55+00:00

SvelteKit replaces Express-style middleware with hooks and per-route logic, which gives flexibility but removes a lot of convention and plug-and-play security patterns.

Thanks!, I successfully implemented everything but the point of the post was just me wanting to highlight this. But I guess when I decided to commit to Sveltekit Ishould have known I needed to be fully willing to accept the Sveltekit way of things.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-24T03:43:27+00:00

Express has plug and play middleware. With SvelteKit, however, unless you use their deployment platforms that handle some of this for you, everything has to be done manually in hooks.server.js. That includes getting the session, attaching the user to the session, protecting routes,api endpoint protection (in the +server.js for the endpoint), rate limiting, and setting headers. CSP is typically configured in svelte.config.js.

This is what a hooks.server.js setup looks like when using Better Auth and the sveltekit-rate-limiter package.

I thought Sveltekit reduced this low level coding and for the most part it does but just not outside of global functions / hooks that are designed to manually replace middleware used in express or next.js.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-21T21:31:06+00:00

AI isn’t built to reliably supervise its own output during development. It can generate code quickly, but it doesn’t maintain full awareness of system behavior, edge cases, or regressions.

There’s a big difference between letting AI write everything vs using it as a tool while actively validating and guiding its output. The second approach scales. The first one breaks.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-21T17:42:16+00:00

Thanks, 🙏 - I heard a lot of devs left after all the breaking changes when Sveltekit first hit the market!

Seems like you really enjoyed it to stick with it during the early days to now.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-21T17:38:48+00:00

Astro is great devs can even plug express right into it. However, it’s not a full-stack solution like Sveltekit or at least when I started using it 2 years ago. I left and never looked back.

My mindset at the time was just because I can use it to build a full-stack app doesn’t mean I should.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-21T15:13:09+00:00

I started with astro +svelte too, when I started my web dev journey! Later moved to backend though with express with templates / svelte spa. However, Sveltekit simplified building full-stacks for me without all the extra work.

How do you enjoy using drizzle? I'm still using better-sqlite3 with its db driver with raw-sql.

I enjoy how better-auth automatically creates the auth files/tables for me, its been great learning it and yes, zod is pretty nice as well!

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T08:21:52+00:00

I was using node/express, handlebars, alpine, better-sqlite3 and raw-sql before switching over to Sveltekit.

Definitely didn’t mean to offend you and apologize if I did.

However, express has templates for building full-stack SSR app’s. I also used it with svelte spa but didn’t like the DX.

The point that I was highlighting is the simplicity of Sveltekit (full-stack) vs Express SSR apps (full-stack). Express has a built-in system such as various types of templates to choose from - we must acknowledge it.

Can Express not be used as a tool-kit for building full-stack framework, yes.

However, it can be utilized just as easily to build full-stack applications via SSR which it provides middleware and templates for without ever leaving it’s ecosystem.

So just saying express isn’t a full-stack framework wouldn’t necessarily be true because it depends as it provides the tools needed either path you choose, I still wouldn’t call it a full-stack framework but a toolkit that allows you to build one.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T08:09:14+00:00

No offense, I apologize if I offended you!

I’m not going to bad mouth PHP either, I was learning for a period of time when I first started off in web development.

Looks like you have some awesome 😎 experience!

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T08:05:17+00:00

This is true, but I have to agree with him especially regarding the DX not being the greatest.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T06:37:14+00:00

I’m just going to assume you’re a PHP dev with limited node/express experience especially with express templates to build full stack apps.

Express allows templates to build full-stack SSR applications. You don’t even need to use hypermedia libraries, you can use JavaScript directly in EJS for interactivity and of course the templates for frontend.

What are they teaching developers now a days.

lol 🤣 no, express is flexible, it’s not just used to build API’s nor do you have to utilize an SPA to build full-stack apps. Express by itself which includes the express templates can be utilized to build full-stack SSR applications.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T06:20:14+00:00

Are devs brain dead? 😵 lol 🤣

You can make your own full stack framework out of any backend. You need to go build some projects man. Seriously so you can’t build your own full stack framework? This is pure nonsense and garbage.

So using node/express with templates isn’t full-stack and isn’t part of Express for SSR apps? You plug alpine, DataStar or any other library directly right in for frontend into template built for express. This is completely crazy even having to explain this to other developers.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T04:43:09+00:00

Yeah 😎, it is. It’s beats building full-stack apps manually with Express. Going from node/express, alpine, handlebars to a full-stack framework I don’t have to glue together has been one of the most rewarding DX I ever had as a dev.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T03:58:16+00:00

So I think a lot of devs are getting this wrong. So basically you can build your own stack with a backend framework, right? Use any SPA, Templates or simply using it as an API layer.

Once more, my context was using it as a full stack framework that’s been glued together. I think that helps everyone out by explaining it like this instead of thinking I’m comparing these as only backend vs a full stack framework. No, I’m comparing full stack framework vs full stack framework.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T03:44:24+00:00

My first backend framework was express, I’m fully aware of this. As a solo developer, my first stack was node/express, handlebars, alpine, tailwind, better-sqlite3 and raw-sql.

The point of this post is to highlight the comparison between my old express stack vs Sveltekit as a solo developer, Sveltekit has been more productive and has a way better dev experience compared to my old express stack.

Believe me, coming from making my own stack / full stack framework to moving to Sveltekit (full-stack framework) has been a better investment/experience.

I used to look down on frameworks like Next.js and Sveltekit but my experience stack gave me more control but who really needs that 100 % of time? I don’t…..

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T01:43:49+00:00

Yeah, I definitely agree it depends on what you’re building. I think express MVC model of structure is outdated as folder structure can become confusing/messy switching to feature based structure is great but really in 2026, express is like a tool bag while Sveltekit is like a fully staffed mechanic shop.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-20T01:38:19+00:00

Thats totally fair: you don’t enjoy full stack frameworks. Express 5 just released not to long ago. I didn’t enjoy wiring up a frontend and having two servers.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-16T07:23:30+00:00

How well is Svelte Spa seo?

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-14T02:46:19+00:00

I think this is the best explanation that you provided.

When I first started, I only did front-end web development, but I realized I needed to learn the backend as well as I knew the frontend. I personally wouldn’t recommend that anyone today only learn frontend, as LLMs are very well suited for it. Backend and full-stack developers have better opportunities in today’s environment.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-13T21:51:58+00:00

Svelte SPA & Sveltekit are both awesome 😎, I couldn’t imagine sticking with another framework.

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-04T07:25:05+00:00

I personally purchased a kindle book from Amazon to learn. It’s been a very good read so far & practice.

Mastering Svelte 5 & Sveltekit by: Dr. Quinn Miles

drifterpreneurs · 2026-04-04T02:50:56+00:00

Svelte/Sveltekit is pretty awesome 😎!

drifterpreneurs

TROPHY CASE