Encore ts backend engineering

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 fetch calls 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 fetch requests 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.