Define a Zod schema, write a validate(schema) middleware factory that uses safeParse, returns 400 with errors if invalid, replaces req.body with parsed data if valid, and calls next. Apply per route: router.post('/signup', validate(signupSchema), signup).
TypeScript inference, great error messages, composable schemas, safe parse (returns success or error instead of throwing), and built-in types and transforms. It is one of the best modern validators for Node.js.
Use a separate factory that reads req.params. Example: const idSchema = z.object({ id: z.string().length(24) }); router.get('/users/:id', validateParams(idSchema), getUser). Validate query the same way with a validateQuery factory.
Returns an object with success: true and data, or success: false and error. Unlike parse, it does not throw. This is what you want in a middleware where you want to handle errors gracefully instead of catching throws.
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