Tina4 Node.js -- Quick Reference

🔥 Hot Tips

• Routes go in src/routes/, templates in src/templates/, static files in src/public/
• GET routes are public by default; POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE require a token
• Return an object from response() and the framework auto-sets application/json
• Use tina4 start to launch the dev server on port 7145
• Node.js 22+ required (uses built-in node:sqlite)

Installation • Routing • Middleware • Templates • Authentication • Databases • ORM • CRUD • Migrations • OpenAPI • Queues • WebSockets

Installation

Four commands. The server starts and your browser shows the result.

npm install tina4-nodejs
tina4 init my-project
cd my-project
tina4 start

Basic Routing

Define a path. Write a handler. The framework maps requests to your code.

import { get, post } from "tina4-nodejs";

get("/", async (request, response) => {
    return response("<h1>Hello Tina4 Node.js</h1>");
});

post("/api", async (request, response) => {
    return response({ data: request.params });
});

Middleware

Middleware runs before and after your route handlers. Use it for logging, auth checks, or request transformation.

import { get, middleware } from "tina4-nodejs";

class LogMiddleware {
    static beforeRequest(request, response) {
        console.log("Before:", request.url);
        return [request, response];
    }

    static afterRequest(request, response) {
        console.log("After:", request.url);
        return [request, response];
    }
}

middleware(LogMiddleware);

get("/protected", async (request, response) => {
    return response("Protected route");
});

Template Rendering

Place .twig files in ./src/templates and static assets in ./src/public. The engine reads your template, fills in the variables, and delivers clean HTML.

<!-- src/templates/index.twig -->
<h1>Hello {{name}}</h1>

import { get } from "tina4-nodejs";

get("/", async (request, response) => {
    return response.render("index.twig", { name: "World!" });
});

Authentication

POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE routes require a bearer token by default. Pass Authorization: Bearer API_KEY in your request headers. Check .env for the default API_KEY.

import { get, post, noAuth, secured } from "tina4-nodejs";

post("/login", noAuth(), async (request, response) => {
    return response("Logged in");
});

get("/protected", secured(), async (request, response) => {
    return response("Welcome!");
});

Databases

One line connects to your database. The fetch method returns results with built-in pagination.

import { Database } from "tina4-nodejs";

const dba = new Database("sqlite3:data.db");
const result = await dba.fetch("SELECT * FROM users", { limit: 10 });

ORM

Define your model as a class. Fields map to columns. The ORM handles create, read, update, and delete.

import { ORM, IntegerField, StringField } from "tina4-nodejs";

class User extends ORM {
    id = IntegerField({ primaryKey: true, autoIncrement: true });
    name = StringField();
}

await new User({ name: "Alice" }).save();

const user = new User();
await user.load("id = ?", [1]);

CRUD

One method generates a full CRUD interface from your ORM model. Bind it to a template and the grid renders itself.

import { get } from "tina4-nodejs";

get("/users/dashboard", async (request, response) => {
    const users = new User().select("id, name, email");
    return response.render("users/dashboard.twig", { crud: users.toCrud(request) });
});

Migrations

Create a migration file with the CLI. Write your SQL. Run the migration. The framework tracks what has run.

tina4 migrate:create create_users_table

-- migrations/00001_create_users_table.sql
CREATE TABLE users (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    name TEXT
);

tina4 migrate

OpenAPI and Swagger UI

Add a description to your route. Visit http://localhost:7145/swagger. Your API documentation appears, ready to share.

import { get, description } from "tina4-nodejs";

get("/users", description("Get all users"), async (request, response) => {
    return response(new User().select("*"));
});

Queues

Produce messages to a topic. Consume them asynchronously. The queue handles retries and ordering.

import { Queue, Producer, Consumer } from "tina4-nodejs";

const queue = new Queue({ topic: "emails" });
new Producer(queue).produce({ to: "alice@example.com", subject: "Welcome" });

const consumer = new Consumer(queue);
for await (const msg of consumer.messages()) {
    console.log(msg.data);
}

WebSockets

Open a connection. Listen for messages. Send responses. The WebSocket handles the protocol, the handshake, and the keepalive.

import { get, WebSocket } from "tina4-nodejs";

get("/ws/chat", async (request, response) => {
    const ws = await new WebSocket(request).connection();
    ws.on("message", async (data) => {
        await ws.send(`Echo: ${data}`);
    });
    return response("");
});

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