Node.js和Express中的数据库配置文件应该放在哪里？

Question

I'm now learning Node.js and Express, and want to use mysql module to render multiple unique pages, so instead of writing out var connection=mysql.createConnection({user:'root', password: 'root'...etc}) line on every file located under routes directory, I'm sure it's better off to just call my own mysql config file on each routing file.

However, where should I put the config file on Express hierarchy and how can I call the file from within each routing file? I know all images, style sheets, and javascript files should be located within each specific directory under public directory, but I don't know where to put all the other files that are intended to be accessed from routing files.

I also want to know whether all of my files, ranging from main app.js to files under routes directory to files under public directory, etc... can be found by users once I publicize this web application on the Web. If it's the case, then I think I should not put database config file on directories that clients can access to...right? In other words, I want to make sure which files can be accessed to by clients and which cannot in order to avoid security attacks.

Answer 1

To answer your first question "Where to put the config file?": This is a little bit personnal. Put it to the root of your application.

config.js:

module.exports = {
  database:{
    host: ""
    user: "..."
  }
}

then you include it in you app.js:

app.js:

...
config = require("./config");
db = config.database;
var connection=mysql.createConnection({user:db.user, ...})

Note that you might want two config file, one in you version control and one private to the machine. Different developers might have different database access for example. But I don't think you have to worry about that for now.

For your second question "Are all my files public?": No, only the file you specify as static (with the express middleware) will be served.

app.js:

...
// Exposes the public folder
app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/public'));

Answer 2

You can put them wherever you want. I usually create a /conf directory right off the project root and put config files in there, in JSON format.