avvio

Asynchronous bootstrapping is hard, different things can go wrong, error handling and load order just to name a few. The aim of this module is to made it simple.

avvio is fully reentrant and graph-based. You can load components/plugins within plugins, and be still sure that things will happen in the right order. At the end of the loading, you application will start.

• Install
• Example
• API
• Acknowledgements
• License

Install

To install avvio, simply use npm:

npm install avvio --save

Example

The example below can be found here and ran using node example.js. It demonstrates how to use avvio to load functions / plugins in order.

'use strict'

const avvio = require('avvio')()

avvio
  .use(first, { hello: 'world' })
  .after((err, cb) => {
    console.log('after first and second')
    cb()
  })

avvio.use(third)

avvio.ready(function () {
  console.log('application booted!')
})

function first (instance, opts, cb) {
  console.log('first loaded', opts)
  instance.use(second)
  cb()
}

function second (instance, opts, cb) {
  console.log('second loaded')
  process.nextTick(cb)
}

// async/await or Promise support
async function third (instance, opts) {
  console.log('third loaded')
}

API

• avvio()
• instance.use()
• instance.after()
• instance.ready()
• instance.override()
• instance.onClose()
• instance.close()
• avvio.express()

---

avvio([instance], [started])

Starts the avvio sequence. As the name suggest, instance is the object representing your application. Avvio will add the functions use, after and ready to the instance.

const server = {}

require('avvio')(server)

server.use(function first (s, opts, cb) {
  // s is the same of server
  s.use(function second (s, opts, cb) {
    cb()
  })
  cb()
}).after(function (err, cb) {
  // after first and second are finished
  cb()
})

Options:

• expose: a key/value property to change how use, after and ready are exposed.

Events:

• 'start'  when the application starts

The avvio function can be used also as a constructor to inherits from.

function Server () {}
const app = boot(new Server())

app.use(function (s, opts, done) {
  // your code
  done()
})

app.on('start', () => {
  // you app can start
})

---

app.use(func, [opts])

Loads one or more functions asynchronously. The function must have the signature: instance, options, done

Plugin example:

function plugin (server, opts, done) {
  done()
}

app.use(plugin)

done must be called only once, when your plugin is ready to go.

async/await is also supported:

async function plugin (server, opts) {
  await sleep(10)
}
app.use(plugin)

use returns the instance on which use is called, to support a chainable API.

If you need to add more than a function and you don't need to use a different options object or callback, you can pass an array of functions to .use.

app.use([first, second, third], opts)

The functions will be loaded in the same order as they are inside the array.

Error handling

In order to handle errors in the loading plugins, you must use the .ready() method, like so:

app.use(function (instance, opts, done) {
  done(new Error('error'))
}, opts)

app.ready(function (err) {
  if (err) throw err
})

---

app.after(func(error, [context], [done]), [cb])

Calls a function after all the previously defined plugins are loaded, including all their dependencies. The 'start' event is not emitted yet.

The callback changes basing on the parameters your are giving:

1. If one parameter is given to the callback, that parameter will be the error object.
2. If two parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the error object, the second will be the done callback.
3. If three parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the error object, the second will be the top level context unless you have specified both server and override, in that case the context will be what the override returns, and the third the done callback.

const server = {}
...
// after with one parameter
boot.after(function (err) {
  if (err) throw err
})

// after with two parameter
boot.after(function (err, done) {
  if (err) throw err
  done()
})

// after with three parameters
boot.after(function (err, context, done) {
  if (err) throw err
  assert.equal(context, server)
  done()
})

done must be called only once.

Returns the instance on which after is called, to support a chainable API.

---

app.ready(func(error, [context], [done]))

Calls a function after all the plugins and after call are completed, but before 'start' is emitted. ready callbacks are executed one at a time.

The callback changes basing on the parameters your are giving:

1. If one parameter is given to the callback, that parameter will be the error object.
2. If two parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the error object, the second will be the done callback.
3. If three parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the error object, the second will be the top level context unless you have specified both server and override, in that case the context will be what the override returns, and the third the done callback.

const server = {}
...
// ready with one parameter
boot.ready(function (err) {
  if (err) throw err
})

// ready with two parameter
boot.ready(function (err, done) {
  if (err) throw err
  done()
})

// ready with three parameters
boot.ready(function (err, context, done) {
  if (err) throw err
  assert.equal(context, server)
  done()
})

done must be called only once.

Returns the instance on which ready is called, to support a chainable API.

---

boot.express(app)

Same as:

const app = express()

boot(app, {
  expose: {
    use: 'load'
  }
})

---

app.override(server, plugin, options)

Allows to override the instance of the server for each loading plugin. It allows the creation of an inheritance chain for the server instances. The first parameter is the server instance and the second is the plugin function while the third is the options object that you give to use.

const boot = require('avvio')
const assert = require('assert')
const server = { count: 0 }
const app = boot(server)

console.log(app !== server, 'override must be set on the Avvio instance')

app.override = function (s, fn, opts) {
  // create a new instance with the
  // server as the prototype
  const res = Object.create(s)
  res.count = res.count + 1

  return res
}

app.use(function first (s1, opts, cb) {
  assert(s1 !== server)
  assert(server.isPrototypeOf(s1))
  assert(s1.count === 1)
  s1.use(second)
  cb()

  function second (s2, opts, cb) {
    assert(s2 !== s1)
    assert(s1.isPrototypeOf(s2))
    assert(s2.count === 2)
    cb()
  }
})

---

app.onClose(func([context], [done]))

Registers a new callback that will be fired once then close api is called.

The callback changes basing on the parameters your are giving:

1. If one parameter is given to the callback, that parameter will be the context.
2. If two parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the top level context unless you have specified both server and override, in that case the context will be what the override returns, the second will be the done callback.

const server = {}
...
// onClose with one parameter
boot.onClose(function (context) {
  // ...
})

// onClose with two parameter
boot.onClose(function (context, done) {
  // ...
  done()
})

done must be called only once. Returns the instance on which onClose is called, to support a chainable API.

---

app.close(func(error, [context], [done]))

Starts the shotdown procedure, the callback is called once all the registered callbacks with onClose has been executed.

The callback changes basing on the parameters your are giving:

1. If one parameter is given to the callback, that parameter will be the error object.
2. If two parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the error object, the second will be the done callback.
3. If three parameters are given to the callback, the first will be the error object, the second will be the top level context unless you have specified both server and override, in that case the context will be what the override returns, and the third the done callback.

const server = {}
...
// close with one parameter
boot.close(function (err) {
  if (err) throw err
})

// close with two parameter
boot.close(function (err, done) {
  if (err) throw err
  done()
})

// close with three parameters
boot.close(function (err, context, done) {
  if (err) throw err
  assert.equal(context, server)
  done()
})

done must be called only once.

---

Acknowledgements

This project was kindly sponsored by nearForm.

License

Copyright Matteo Collina 2016-2017, Licensed under MIT.