# Code Organization

## Makefile

Contains most of the commands that you use to manage the lifecycle of your application, during development.

## config

Configuration files for various environments, set by $NODE\_ENV environmental variable. default is the baseline that is inherited by all others. Don’t create an explicit environment called default.

Environment variables are able to override configuration of the values in files. It is recommended to use environment variables anywhere but the development environment. See: <https://12factor.net/> for more about it.

## lib

This is where various modules your application consists of go under. Ideally, you should design all your modules as self-contained code that could be cleanly installed and uninstalled to add/remove distinct functionality, without touching other parts of the code. NodeBootstrap goes extra mile to promote self-contained modules. Self contained modules allow higher degree of reuse.

## node\_modules

This is where third-party modules installed via npm go under. Typically you install these using `npm install -S modulename` command.

## public

Dedicates space for static assets (images, js, css). The benefit of this folder is that you can point a web-server (e.g. Nginx or Apache) directly to this folder and not “bother” node on serving these files.

## test

This is where you put your various types of automated tests. Node Bootstrap comes fully configured for Mocha unit and integration tests and even: Casper/Phantom drivers for Mocha to write powerful acceptance tests targeted at web applications. Istanbul coverage reports and batteries are included.

## views

Place to put your shared template files under. Node Bootstrap is, by default, pre-configured for Handlebars templates, but you can use any other Express-friendly templating engine, even: alongside Handlebars, if you want. Typically templates should be encapsulated in their respective modules (which also have views folders, see the sample modules under “lib”), but in case you need to share some templates across various modules: this is where you’d do it.


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