Combine Search, Filtering and Pagination
A useful production-style list endpoint should support search, filters, sorting, and pagination together.
Example:
GET /api/v1/users?page=1&limit=10&search=john&role=user&sortBy=createdAt&order=desc
The request should:
- Parse query parameters.
- Validate the parameters.
- Build the MongoDB filter.
- Build the sorting options.
- Apply pagination.
- Retrieve matching records.
- Count matching records.
- Return pagination metadata.
The count query must use the same filter as the data query.
Use lean() for Read-Only Queries
Mongoose lean() can reduce memory overhead when you do not need document methods, getters, or change tracking.
Combined User Query Service
export async function listUsers({
page,
limit,
filter,
sort
}) {
const skip = (page - 1) * limit;
const [users, total] = await Promise.all([
User.find(filter)
.select('-password')
.sort(sort)
.skip(skip)
.limit(limit)
.lean(),
User.countDocuments(filter)
]);
return {
users,
total,
page,
limit,
totalPages: Math.ceil(total / limit)
};
}Combines filtering, sorting, pagination, and counting. lean() returns plain JavaScript objects rather than full Mongoose documents, which is useful for read-only results.
Key Takeaways
Combine query features into a consistent service interface.
Apply identical filters to data and count queries.
Use lean() when full Mongoose document behavior is unnecessary.