meyverick Encore.ts Backend Engineering
This skill manages the creation of distributed, type-safe backends using Encore.ts. It enforces strict Infrastructure-from-Code (IfC) paradigms, ensuring that architecture and deployment topologies are inferred directly from TypeScript code.
When to Use
- Use when creating new backend services or RPC endpoints using Encore.ts.
- Use when defining declarative infrastructure (Databases, Pub/Sub, Cron jobs).
- NOT for modifying traditional Express.js or NestJS APIs.
Core Process
Phase 1: API Endpoint Definition
- Define API contracts directly via exported functions wrapped in
api(). - Ensure request/response schemas are heavily typed with explicit interfaces.
- Do not write manual OpenAPI schemas; Encore infers them from the TypeScript AST.
Phase 2: Declarative Infrastructure
Never manually provision databases or queues in an external console or IaC tool (like Terraform) if Encore supports it natively.
- Use
import { SQLDatabase } from "encore.dev/storage/sqldb"for databases. - Use
import { Topic, Subscription } from "encore.dev/pubsub"for event-driven boundaries. - Ensure all resources are bound directly to the code that utilizes them.
Phase 3: Service Communication
- Services must communicate via strictly typed, native function calls (e.g.,
serviceA.endpointB()). - Do not hardcode URLs or manual
fetchcalls to communicate between internal Encore services.
Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|---|
| "I'll just define the Postgres database manually in AWS." | Encore's Infrastructure-from-Code automatically handles local, testing, and production provisioning. Manual IaC splits the truth. |
| "I'll write an Express middleware for this validation." | Encore handles request validation at the compile-time schema level. Standard middleware paradigms often bypass these guarantees. |
Red Flags
- Manual HTTP
fetchrequests pointing to internal cluster services. - Creating resources in cloud consoles instead of utilizing
encore.dev/storage/sqldb. - Hand-written OpenAPI/Swagger definitions.
Verification
Before finalizing the Encore service, verify:
- All APIs are wrapped in the
api()directive with strict TypeScript interfaces. - Infrastructure (DBs, PubSub) is defined natively within the code.
- Internal service calls utilize type-safe direct imports, not manual HTTP routing.