Node.js best practices

Use when writing server-side JS/TS, scripts, tooling, or SSR runtimes that execute on Node (e.g. Nitro output, build scripts).

Runtime and versions

• Declare engines in package.json and CI to match production; avoid “works on my machine” drift.
• Prefer LTS Node for services; know ESM vs CJS boundaries in the repo ("type": "module").

Configuration and secrets

• Never commit secrets; load from env or a secret manager; validate required vars at startup (Zod, t3-env, etc.).
• 12-factor config: one codebase, many environments via env, not branching logic per customer in code.

Errors and logging

• Use structured logging (JSON fields) in servers for searchability; include request id / correlation id when available.
• Differentiate operational errors (4xx) from bugs (5xx); don’t expose stack traces to clients in production.