core

MEANIO core is implemented as a node module and is a backbone unit of MEAN framework, providing API which allows developers to expose any system resource available to node.js platform to other software layers. Core module mechanism has been introduced in order to allow developers to build their own core modules, extending that way basic MEAN framework functionality. MEANIO will load core modules following their dependency list if any, extending along the way set of interfaces.

Best example of a core functionality is, actually, a web server functionality: no http/https request can be served to client unless web server is enabled and configured properly. Of course, web server interfaces is exposed to other software layers so they can make use of web server module. MEAN, at this point, uses express as underlying web server system, but in future we could support some other frameworks as well.

At this point, there are five core modules that serves as a ground zero for MEAN system:

• Bootstrap: allows MEAN to setup express web server, configure it properly and prepare MEAN for loading other core modules,
• DB: allows MEAN to interact with database systems. At this point, MEAN is only capable to interact with mongodb, other database systems might be supported in future as well,
• Aggregation: allows MEAN to aggregate JavaScript and CSS files reducing total transferred amount of data from server to client,
• Package: allows MEAN to load packages,
• Menu: allows developers to build menus within MEAN.

At current state of code, coupling between core modules is very strong and strict, meaning that loading order is harcoded (no custom core modules support for now) and they depend upon each other in very inflexible manner and we are working hard to allow developers to implement core modules of their own in a more flexible and formal way.