Create a Safe Node.js AI Project

Use a supported Node.js LTS release, a package manager, environment variables, and a server-side module layout. Keep provider-specific code behind a small adapter so your application logic does not depend on one SDK everywhere. Separate development, test, and production configuration. Add linting, type checking if using TypeScript, tests, and a .env.example containing placeholders rather than secrets.

For JavaScript projects, JSDoc can improve editor support; for larger systems, TypeScript is especially useful for tool arguments, structured outputs, and message-state models.

Note

Do not commit .env files containing secrets. Use a secret manager or protected deployment environment for production.

Minimal project structure

src/
  app.js
  config/env.js
  ai/provider.js
  ai/prompts.js
  ai/schemas.js
  tools/
  retrieval/
  evals/
  tests/
.env.example
package.json

💡 Keep provider calls, prompt definitions, tools, retrieval, and evaluations in separate modules. This structure makes it easier to test policy and domain behavior without calling a paid model for every unit test.

Key Takeaways

Use server-side configuration for secrets.
Separate prompts, tools, retrieval, and evaluation from route handlers.
Test domain logic without depending on live provider calls.

Knowledge Check

Why place provider calls behind an adapter?

Create a Safe Node.js AI Project

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