Building APIs with plain Node.js feels great at first, but as your project grows, so does the mess. NestJS is here to change that. It offers a structured, scalable, and TypeScript-first approach to backend development, inspired by Angular’s architecture.
In this hands-on guide, we will build a simple, clean REST API using NestJS. Whether you’re completely new to NestJS or you’ve peeked at it and got overwhelmed by the decorators, this guide will walk you through the process step by step.
A basic User API that lets you:
We will keep things minimal to focus on understanding the structure and workflow of a NestJS project.
Before we begin, make sure you have:
1. Install NestJS CLI
npm i -g @nestjs/cli2. Create a New Project
nest new user-apiChoose your preferred package manager when prompted.
3. Navigate to Project Folder
cd user-apiAt this point, NestJS has already generated a boilerplate structure for you.
NestJS generates a clean folder structure:
We will now create a dedicated User Module to keep things organized.
1. Generate User Module
nest generate module users2. Generate User Controller
nest generate controller users3. Generate User Service
nest generate service usersYou now have:
Open users.service.ts and add some dummy data:
import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
@Injectable()
export class UsersService {
private users = [
{ id: 1, name: 'Alice' },
{ id: 2, name: 'Bob' },
];
findAll() {
return this.users;
}
findOne(id: number) {
return this.users.find(user => user.id === id);
}
create(user: { id: number; name: string }) {
this.users.push(user);
return user;
}
}Open users.controller.ts and wire up the routes:
import { Controller, Get, Param, Post, Body } from '@nestjs/common';
import { UsersService } from './users.service';
@Controller('users')
export class UsersController {
constructor(private usersService: UsersService) {}
@Get()
findAll() {
return this.usersService.findAll();
}
@Get(':id')
findOne(@Param('id') id: string) {
return this.usersService.findOne(Number(id));
}
@Post()
create(@Body() user: { id: number; name: string }) {
return this.usersService.create(user);
}
}Make sure to import UsersModule in app.module.ts:
import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';
import { AppController } from './app.controller';
import { AppService } from './app.service';
import { UsersModule } from './users/users.module';
@Module({
imports: [UsersModule],
controllers: [AppController],
providers: [AppService],
})
export class AppModule {}1. Run the Server
npm run start2. Test the Endpoints
Use Postman, cURL, or your browser for GET requests to verify the API works.
NestJS takes some getting used to, especially if you are new to TypeScript or Angular-like patterns. But once you understand the building blocks, it becomes a powerful, scalable tool for building robust backend APIs.
This simple API barely scratches the surface. With NestJS, you can easily add:
NestJS isn’t just another framework. It’s a well-architected system designed for serious backend.
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