allow proxy config during ng build when using `outputMode: server`

[DibyodyutiMondal]

Command

build

Description

I am facing a separate, but similar issue to #29005 @alan-agius4, in my case, the 30-sec timeout occurs because I am making api calls.

My setup is pretty standard:

• 2 angular 'client' apps (ssr with fastify)
• one 'server' api (fastify)

The '/api' route on both clients are expected to point to the same api instance

In production, '/api' on both client apps are routed the api via nginx and docker configuration In development, I serve both the api and client locally, and use ng serve's proxy config

This means I can avoid having to stream my api data through my client's container. This is especially a win for production environment.

Because of this setup, I do not need to have a separate 'api' route in my client application.

BUT...

When angular tries to build my app, to extract the routes,

• it makes request to the angular engine
• in order to render the app, angular engine needs to make some api calls. Those api calls go to '/api'.
• but there is no nginx config, or proxy config, so it passes the request to the client's fastify instance.
• the client fastify instance does not have a handler for '/api' so it passes the request to the '*' route
• '*' route is handled by.... angular engine

And so it loops and loops.

A. It was not immediately obvious that is a problem of recursion, and not a problem of route not able to render. B. This is probably behaving as intended. But it forces developers to implement a fallback for api routes, or any other route that is expected on the same origin, just to build in peace. This was not needed before. We did not need to have runtime things available at build-time. C. Yes, api route example was there in the initial generated server.ts. But it did not tell me "DO NOT DELETE THIS - YOU WILL NEED THIS LATER". Basically, maybe a more thorough documention is in order D. Alternatively, would it not be great if we configure the build action to pick up proxy information, just like ng serve?

---

Following are the relevant files for the server setup

server.ts

import { createNodeRequestHandler, isMainModule } from '@angular/ssr/node';
import { serveAngularSSR } from '@easworks/app-shell/utilities/angular-ssr';
import { fastifyCors } from '@fastify/cors';
import { fastify, FastifyInstance } from 'fastify';
import * as path from 'node:path';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
import { parseEnv } from 'server-side/environment';
import { useProblemDetailsGlobally } from 'server-side/utils/fastify-problem-details';
import { getLoggerOptions } from 'server-side/utils/logging';
import { printRoutes } from 'server-side/utils/print-routes.plugin';

const envId = parseEnv.nodeEnv();

async function initServer() {
  // const options = development ? {} : { http2: true };
  const options = {};

  const server = fastify({
    ...options,
    logger: getLoggerOptions(envId)
  });

  return server;
}

async function configureServer(server: FastifyInstance) {

  server.register(useProblemDetailsGlobally);
  server.register(printRoutes);

  server.register(serveAngularSSR, {
    directory: path.resolve(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url), '../..'),
  });

  await server.register(fastifyCors, {
    origin: true
  });
}

const server = await initServer();
await configureServer(server);

async function closeServer(server: FastifyInstance) {
  await server.close();
  process.exit();
}

/**
 * Start the server if this module is the main entry point.
 * The server listens on the port defined by the `PORT` environment variable, or defaults to 4000.
 */
if (isMainModule(import.meta.url)) {
  const host = '0.0.0.0';
  const port = Number.parseInt(process.env['PORT'] as string);

  try {
    await server.listen({ host, port });
    process.on('SIGTERM', () => closeServer(server));
    process.on('SIGINT', () => closeServer(server));
  }
  catch (e) {
    server.log.fatal(e);
    closeServer(server);
  }
}

/**
 * The request handler used by the Angular CLI (dev-server and during build).
 */
export const reqHandler = createNodeRequestHandler(async (req, res) => {
  await server.ready();
  server.server.emit('request', req, res);
});

serve-angular-ssr.ts

import { AngularNodeAppEngine, writeResponseToNodeResponse } from '@angular/ssr/node';
import { fastifyStatic } from '@fastify/static';
import { FastifyPluginAsync } from 'fastify';
import fastifyPlugin from 'fastify-plugin';
import mime from 'mime';
import * as path from 'path';

interface ServeAngularSSROptions {
  directory: string;
}

const pluginImpl: FastifyPluginAsync<
  ServeAngularSSROptions
> = async (server, options) => {
  const engine = new AngularNodeAppEngine();
  const browserDirectory = path.resolve(options.directory, 'browser');

  server.register(fastifyStatic, {
    root: browserDirectory,
    serve: false,
    index: false,
    redirect: false,
    maxAge: '1y',
  });

  const htmlMime = mime.getType('html');
  if (!htmlMime) throw new Error('invalid operation');

  server.get('*', async (req, reply) => {

    const extension = mime.getType(req.url);

    if (extension && req.url !== '/index.html') {
      return reply.sendFile(req.url);
    } else {
      reply.type(htmlMime);
      const response = await engine.handle(req.raw);
      if (response) return writeResponseToNodeResponse(response, reply.raw);
      else return reply.send();
    }

  });
};

export const serveAngularSSR = fastifyPlugin(pluginImpl, { name: 'serveAngularSSR' });

Describe the solution you'd like

No response

Describe alternatives you've considered

No response

[alan-agius4]

@DibyodyutiMondal, are you doing the api calls as part of the app init or in the app component?

[DibyodyutiMondal]

It's part of app init.

I am registering ngrx/store by calling provideStore() And then registering ngrx/effects by calling provideEffects()

One of the effects is responsible for pulling in data required by almost everything, even menus. So that is triggered at the time of registration of the effect.

[apappas1129]

Are there any work arounds for this? I also have some fetching of data on app init and they are proxied as well.

[DibyodyutiMondal]

Workaround:

1. In the main server.ts file, detect when the app is running as part of the build process. I'm not sure how to do this. In case you are using the nx tool, then definitely you can take a look at the env variables. Maybe the angular cli sets some env variables that you can use? Angular team members will be able to help better on this.

2. When you detect that the cli is building the app, then use a plugin/middleware for your respective framework and replicate the same rules as in your proxy.conf