The answer
GET /health that returns 200 OK lets uptime monitors and load balancers know the server is alive. It is a 30-second addition that pays off in production.
Common Mistakes When Starting a Node.js Project (and How to Avoid Them)
Why add a health check endpoint?
More FAQs in Common Mistakes When Starting a Node.js Project (and How to Avoid Them)
No plan, no folder structure, secrets in code, no input validation, no error handling, plain-text passwords, JWT in LocalStorage, no health check, blocking the event loop, and no logging.
In environment variables loaded with dotenv. Keep secrets in a .env file and add .env to .gitignore. Never hardcode secrets in source files.
In an httpOnly, secure, sameSite cookie. LocalStorage is open to XSS and is risky. Cookies configured correctly are safer.
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