KoalaTS
Build robust Node.js backends without overthinking
KoalaTS is a batteries-included framework that brings structure, scalability, and functional programming into real-world backend development.
Why teams reach for it
KoalaTS gives backend projects a clear starting point: controllers for routes, middleware for request flow, explicit request and response handling, and utilities like request scope storage when context needs to follow async work.
- Clear entry points for HTTP and application code
- Practical defaults instead of repeated framework assembly
- Patterns that stay readable as features and teams grow
Problem
Node backends don’t scale well by default
- Projects become messy as they grow.
- Teams drift because there is no shared structure.
- Every new service starts with another round of library decisions.
- Functional programming sounds good, but applying it consistently is hard.
Most Node backends work at first, then accumulate ad hoc structure. Each team solves routing, validation, state, and boundaries a little differently, which makes the code harder to reason about over time.
Idea
A structured way to build backends
KoalaTS gives you a stable baseline built around explicit controllers, middleware, request and response primitives, and predictable application structure. You spend less time inventing conventions and more time building backend behavior.
- Clear architecture from day one.
- Built-in patterns that reduce incidental decisions.
- Practical functional programming without turning everything into theory.
- A workflow focused on shipping backend features, not rebuilding conventions.
What You Get
The pieces you need to keep moving
Batteries included
Start with routing, middleware, request and response handling, and request-scoped context without stitching together a framework from scratch.
Functional-first approach
Keep application logic in plain functions with explicit inputs and dependencies instead of hiding behavior behind implicit state.
Consistent structure
Use the same controller and configuration patterns across services so teams can read and extend code without re-learning the project shape.
Scalable by design
Grow from simple endpoints to larger modules while keeping HTTP concerns, application logic, and shared utilities understandable.
Focus on real backend problems
Solve request flow, validation, context propagation, and service boundaries instead of spending that time debating libraries and wiring.
Examples
A framework shape you can read quickly
KoalaTS keeps the surface area small: define routes explicitly and validate input with plain constraints that stay easy to read.
export class DashboardController {
@Route({method: 'GET', path: '/dashboard'})
show() {}
}
Architecture
Designed with architecture in mind
KoalaTS is influenced by the same ideas that make larger systems maintainable: clear boundaries, explicit dependencies, and a separation between transport concerns and application behavior.
- Inspired by DDD and Clean Architecture without turning them into ceremony.
- Separation of concerns between HTTP handling, middleware, and application logic.
- Code that stays easier to discuss, review, and evolve as a system.
Application shape
Controllers define HTTP entry points, middleware handles cross-cutting concerns, and the HTTP scope keeps request and response data explicit.
Why it matters
That structure reduces accidental coupling and makes it easier to reason about behavior as the codebase and team both grow.
Getting Started
Start small and keep the structure
Create the project
Generate a new application with `npx @koala-ts/cli create my-app` and start from the default structure.
Configure and run
Set your environment values, install dependencies, and start the server with the generated project scripts.
Add your first endpoint
Define a controller, register routes, and build from the documented basics for requests, responses, and middleware.
Start building structured backends today
Start with the documentation when you want the full model, or jump into the quick start and build your first structured endpoint right away.