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Backend and integrations with Node.js

Node.js runs JavaScript on the server. That is where the unseen pieces live: the API that answers your website or app, the connection between two systems that don't talk and the processes that work in the background. We develop that backend and leave it running on your infrastructure.

Often combined with

Fig. 01SwitchboardAPI · WEBHOOKSMESSAGES · QUEUELooping
A message comes in on the line, gets checked and leaves on the cable to its system. The job that takes longer waits its turn in the tray.

Situations

What you can solve with a Node.js backend

The job almost always starts from a manual task between two programs: someone exports from one, imports into the other and hopes not to slip.

  • Two systems that don't talk

    The store and the ERP, the form and the CRM, the calendar and invoicing. A service in the middle translates, validates and delivers.

  • A website or an app that needs an API

    One place to request and save data, with permissions and predictable answers.

  • Notifications arriving from outside

    A payment confirmed, a parcel delivered, a document signed. The notification is received, checked and acted on once, even if it arrives twice.

  • Work that doesn't fit in one request

    Imports, reports, batch sends and syncs that run in a queue, with retries and without blocking anyone.

The pending tray: what takes long doesn't block the rest

What to check before starting

  • Which API each system offers, with which limits and credentials
  • What happens if a message arrives twice, or not at all
  • Where the service will run and who will watch it
  • Which personal data passes through it

Services

What we build with Node.js

Server pieces, almost always invisible, handed over with their documentation and their log.

  • Module 1 · Port panel

    APIs

    Documented endpoints for your website, your app or other systems, with authentication, input validation and clear errors.

    Examples of deliverables

    • API for a mobile app
    • Internal orders API
    • API documentation
  • Module 2 · Inbound line

    Webhooks

    Receiving notifications from payment gateways, stores and other services: the signature is checked, they are logged and processed once.

    Examples of deliverables

    • Payment confirmed
    • Order created
    • Document signed
  • Module 3 · Three systems

    Connections between systems

    Syncing data between tools that don't integrate out of the box, translating formats and logging every exchange.

    Examples of deliverables

    • Store and ERP
    • Forms and CRM
    • Calendar and invoicing
  • Module 4 · Tray

    Background jobs

    Job queues, scheduled tasks and retries for whatever takes long or may fail.

    Examples of deliverables

    • Overnight report
    • File import
    • Batch email sending

A working example

An event that comes in, gets validated and updates another system

An illustrative example. Send an order notification and follow its path: receipt, validation, queue and the update of the destination system. Send an incomplete or repeated one too, to see what happens.

Simulated demo · sample data

Send a notification

  1. Received
  2. Validated
  3. Queued
  4. ERP updated

Operations log

    Orders in the ERP (simulated)

    None yet.

      Everything happens in your browser: no server is listening and no system is really updated.

      Integration

      How it fits with your systems

      A service like this sits in the middle. On one side it receives; on the other it delivers; and in between it keeps a memory of what happened.

      Where it comes from

      Node.jsNode.js servicereceives, validates, queues and delivers

      Where it goes

      Dependencies worth checking

      • Each API's rate limits
      • How credentials are stored and renewed
      • What happens to jobs in progress during a deployment
      • Which alerts fire, and who gets them

      How we work and what we deliver

      How we run a Node.js backend

      1. 01

        Initial review

        Which systems are involved, which APIs they have and what is done by hand between them today.

      2. 02

        Scope

        What comes in, what goes out, in which format and what happens when the other side doesn't answer.

      3. 03

        First release

        One complete end-to-end path in a test environment, with real or anonymized data.

      4. 04

        Validation

        Edge cases on purpose: duplicate message, system down, malformed data.

      5. 05

        Documentation

        The API description, the environment variables, how to deploy and how to read the log.

      What you get when the job closes

      • The code and the deployment in accounts in your name
      • Documentation of the API and the flows
      • The operations log and the alerts
      • An operations guide: retries and errors

      Questions

      Questions about Node.js

      Missing yours? Write it to info@veodar.com and we'll reply with a specific question, not a brochure.

      Do I have to change my systems to integrate them?

      Usually not. The integration relies on what each system already allows: an API, an export or a notification. If a system offers no route at all, we say so before starting.

      What happens if the other system is down?

      The job stays in the queue and is retried with a longer wait each time. If it keeps failing, it is flagged with its reason so someone can decide. Nothing is lost silently.

      Node.js or Python for the backend?

      Both work. Node.js fits well when there are many connections and notifications to handle, and when the team already works in JavaScript. Python is usually the better choice for processing data and producing reports. They often live side by side in one project.

      Where does it run?

      On the infrastructure you choose: a server, containers or cloud functions, always in accounts in your name. It is decided by load, cost and who will maintain it.

      How do I know what the integration did?

      Every operation is logged with its time, its origin and its result. The log lets you look up a specific order and see where it went and where it stopped.

      Updated:

      Other technologies

      What it is combined with

      All technologies
      • Python programmingImporting, cleaning and matching data, generating reports and automating repetitive tasks. Tools shaped around your files and systems.
      • Next.js developmentApplications that combine public pages, user sign-in and server functions. Development and integration of the different parts of the project.
      • Generative AI integrationAssistants over your documents, sorting of information and draft generation. We bring these features into your website and your working tools.

      Get started

      Tell us which systems need to talk.

      Which ones, what data goes from one to the other and what is done by hand today. If you don't know whether they have an API, we will look.

      What helps us assess it

      • Which systems are involved
      • What data goes from one to the other, and how often
      • Whether APIs or documentation exist
      • What is done by hand today

      Before you write, see how we price a project or our solutions by department.

      Fig. 07Morse keyH · E · L · L · O