Learn ADONISJS with Real Code Examples

AdonisJS provides a structured MVC architecture with built-in support for routing, ORM, validation, authentication, and more.

It emphasizes convention over configuration, offering a cohesive and batteries-included ecosystem.

Supports synchronous and asynchronous programming via modern JavaScript/TypeScript.

Integrates easily with relational databases, caching, queues, and WebSockets.

Designed for both small applications and scalable enterprise-grade projects.

Routing and controllers

Lucid ORM for relational databases

Middleware and service providers

Validation and exception handling

Real-time WebSocket channels

Controller - handles HTTP request logic

Model - interacts with database via Lucid ORM

View - renders templates (optional for APIs)

Middleware - pre/post-processing for requests

Route - maps HTTP requests to controllers

app/ - controllers, models, middleware

database/ - migrations, seeds

start/ - routes and kernel setup

resources/ - views and templates

config/ - framework and database configuration

Define routes in `start/routes.ts`

Create controllers and define actions

Define models and migrations using Lucid ORM

Add middleware for authentication, logging, etc.

Start server and test API or web endpoints

Beginner: basic REST API

Intermediate: CRUD app with authentication

Advanced: real-time app with WebSockets

Expert: full-stack enterprise application

Architect: multi-service, scalable backend

AdonisJS vs Express -> AdonisJS is opinionated and batteries-included; Express is minimalistic

AdonisJS vs NestJS -> Both TypeScript-friendly; NestJS uses decorators and dependency injection heavily

AdonisJS vs Koa -> Koa is middleware-centric and lightweight; AdonisJS is full-featured

AdonisJS vs Sails -> Sails is MVC and ORM-heavy; AdonisJS is modern and TypeScript-native

AdonisJS vs LoopBack -> LoopBack focuses on APIs; AdonisJS provides full-stack capabilities

2015 - AdonisJS initial release

2016 - v2 with improved ORM and authentication

2018 - v4 with TypeScript support

2020 - v5 modern rewrite with TypeScript-first approach

2025 - Latest v5.x release with updated ecosystem and WebSocket enhancements

Controller - handles request logic

Model - ORM representation of database table

Route - maps HTTP requests to controllers

Middleware - pre/post-processing requests

Lucid - ORM for database interactions