Epic Stack catch-up 5/7: Server index.ts / drop server-build / Express 5 #28

Parent issue: #23

Parent: search for issue titled “Epic Stack catch-up: tracking”. Do this only after packages 1 and 4 are on dev (RR bump + LiteFS/cache/fallthrough). Package 2–3 are nice-to-have first.

Goal

Match Epic Stack’s server boot: TypeScript entry, no server-build / other/build-server.ts, Vite SSR server/app.ts, Express 5 path matching, rate-limit IPv6 helper.

This is medium-high risk. Do not also do Vite 7, Sentry 10, or the routing migration.

Upstream

• Migrate server code to server/index.ts and simplify processes epicweb-dev/epic-stack#1066 / epicweb-dev/epic-stack@bac7bd4 — migrate to server/index.ts, delete build-server
• Fix express middleware and dev script loading mocks epicweb-dev/epic-stack#1076 / epicweb-dev/epic-stack@1c09b52 — load Express middleware (https, slash redirect, helmet, rate limit) before Vite/dev handler so mocks still work
• Express 5: app.get('*') → app.get(/.*/) (or regex Epic Stack uses); /img/* → /^\/img\/.*/; app.all('*', ...) goes away because the RR handler is server/app.ts
• Rate limiter: ipKeyGenerator from express-rate-limit (Epic Stack server/index.ts)
• Node engines: "node": "^22.18.0" (keep Node 22; this is a range, not a jump to 24)

Reference files (current Epic Stack):

• https://github.com/epicweb-dev/epic-stack/blob/main/index.ts
• https://github.com/epicweb-dev/epic-stack/blob/main/server/index.ts
• https://github.com/epicweb-dev/epic-stack/blob/main/server/app.ts
• https://github.com/epicweb-dev/epic-stack/blob/main/package.json (scripts only)
• https://github.com/epicweb-dev/epic-stack/blob/main/other/Dockerfile
• https://github.com/epicweb-dev/epic-stack/blob/main/vite.config.ts (build.rollupOptions.input for SSR)

Do this

Branch off origin/dev. PR into dev.

1. Entry

   • Replace index.js with index.ts matching upstream: load dotenv, source-map-support, mocks if MOCKS=true, then always import('./server/index.ts') (no server-build branch)
   • Update package.json scripts: dev, dev:no-mocks, start, start:mocks should run node index.ts (keep this site’s dev:scan / localtunnel scripts)
   • Remove build:remix / build:server split if upstream is just react-router build. Remove other/build-server.ts. Drop server-build from .gitignore / .prettierignore / Dockerfile copy if present
   • eslintIgnore can drop /server-build

2. server/app.ts

   • Split the React Router createRequestHandler into server/app.ts as upstream does
   • Vite config: for SSR builds, rollupOptions.input = './server/app.ts'
   • Dev: appType: 'custom', ssrLoadModule('./server/app.ts') after security/rate-limit middleware (see #1076)

3. Express 5

   • Bump express to 5.x and @types/express to 5.x (Epic Stack ^5.2.1 / ^5.0.6)
   • Bump express-rate-limit to 8.x and use ipKeyGenerator in keyGenerator (keep fly-client-ip first)
   • Convert wildcard paths to what Express 5 / path-to-regexp needs (Epic Stack uses regexes). Do not guess /:path(*) unless that is what current Express 5 in this PR actually requires — match upstream server/index.ts
   • Add /dashboard to strongPaths (this site’s admin UI)

4. Dockerfile

   • Stop copying server-build
   • Keep Sentry build secrets this site already uses if still needed
   • Keep LiteFS copy / CMD ["litefs", "mount"]
   • Do not change Fly app name or region

5. Vite

   • Keep localtunnel allowedHosts
   • Keep Sentry plugin wiring from package 2 if already merged; do not regress hidden sourcemaps
   • Do not add react-router-devtools here unless it is required to compile (it is not)

6. engines.node: "^22.18.0"

Files allowed

• index.js (delete) / index.ts (add)
• server/index.ts, server/app.ts (new), server/dev-server.js (delete if unused)
• other/build-server.ts (delete)
• other/Dockerfile
• package.json, package-lock.json (express, express-rate-limit, @types/express, and whatever those require — not vite/vitest/sentry major)
• vite.config.ts (SSR input + keep localtunnel/sentry)
• .gitignore, .prettierignore, eslint.config.js / eslintIgnore as needed
• Tests that import server boot

Do not

• Do not bump vite 6→7, vitest 3→4, @sentry/* 9→10, prisma beyond patch/minor
• Do not switch to react-router-auto-routes
• Do not edit dashboard+ route files
• Do not remove extra UI dependencies
• Do not base on PR P/patn dev stack updater #21

Acceptance

• No server-build / build-server.ts in the repo or Dockerfile
• node index.ts is the dev and prod entry (with MOCKS=true for mocked dev)
• Express 5; rate limiter uses ipKeyGenerator
• Localtunnel allowedHosts still works
• npm run build, typecheck, test -- --run pass; Playwright on the PR is green
• PR targets dev

Staging smoke (human) — required

Staging must boot. Check:

• HTTPS / no trailing-slash issues
• /resources/healthcheck
• Login, notes, dashboard
• Static /assets and favicons
• Rate limit does not lock you out while clicking around

PR target: dev (never main). Implement only this issue.