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@molecule/api-trash

Feature · trash · API (Node) · v1.0.1 · Apache-2.0

Polymorphic soft-delete + restore + purge helper for any resource (note-taking, doc-collab, kanban, project-management, wiki, etc.).

npm install @molecule/api-trash

npm · Source on GitHub

How it works

@molecule/api-trash is a ready-made trash feature for the API (Node) side. It composes the core interfaces it needs, so it works with whichever providers your app has bonded.

import {
  trashItem,
  restoreFromTrash,
  registerRestoreCallback,
  routes,
  requestHandlerMap,
} from '@molecule/api-trash'

// 1. Soft-delete from a parent resource's `delete` handler:
await trashItem({
  resourceType: 'document',
  resourceId: doc.id,
  userId: (res.locals.session as { userId?: string } | undefined)?.userId,
  snapshot: doc,
  reason: 'user delete',
  ttlMs: 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000, // 30 days
})

// 2. Register a restore callback at startup so the HTTP `restore`
//    route can re-create the parent resource:
registerRestoreCallback('document', async (snapshot) => {
  await documentService.upsertFromSnapshot(snapshot)
})

// 3. Wire routes via mlcl inject — surfaces:
//   POST   /:resourceType/:resourceId/trash
//   GET    /trash
//   GET    /trash/count
//   GET    /trash/:trashId
//   POST   /trash/:trashId/restore
//   POST   /trash/:trashId/purge

Works with: @molecule/api-locales-trash

Reference

Auto-generated, AI-first package reference for the molecule.dev ecosystem. It is written to be read by coding agents as much as by people, and is generated from this package's source — edit src/index.ts JSDoc, not this file.

Polymorphic soft-delete + restore + purge helper for any molecule resource.

Captures a snapshot of any resource at trash time, then either restores it (re-creating the parent via a registered callback) or purges it. The same package serves note-taking, document-collaboration, kanban, project-management, wiki, and any other productivity app that needs an undo-friendly delete experience.

Quick Start

import {
  trashItem,
  restoreFromTrash,
  registerRestoreCallback,
  routes,
  requestHandlerMap,
} from '@molecule/api-trash'

// 1. Soft-delete from a parent resource's `delete` handler:
await trashItem({
  resourceType: 'document',
  resourceId: doc.id,
  userId: (res.locals.session as { userId?: string } | undefined)?.userId,
  snapshot: doc,
  reason: 'user delete',
  ttlMs: 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000, // 30 days
})

// 2. Register a restore callback at startup so the HTTP `restore`
//    route can re-create the parent resource:
registerRestoreCallback('document', async (snapshot) => {
  await documentService.upsertFromSnapshot(snapshot)
})

// 3. Wire routes via mlcl inject — surfaces:
//   POST   /:resourceType/:resourceId/trash
//   GET    /trash
//   GET    /trash/count
//   GET    /trash/:trashId
//   POST   /trash/:trashId/restore
//   POST   /trash/:trashId/purge

Type

feature

Installation

npm install @molecule/api-trash @molecule/api-database @molecule/api-i18n @molecule/api-locales-trash @molecule/api-logger @molecule/api-resource zod

API

Interfaces

ListTrashOptions

Filter options for listing trashed items.

interface ListTrashOptions extends PaginationOptions {
  /** Limit to a specific resource type. */
  resourceType?: string
  /** Limit to items trashed by a specific user. */
  userId?: string
  /**
   * Whether to include rows that have been restored or purged. Defaults to
   * `false` — only currently-trashed rows are returned.
   */
  includeInactive?: boolean
}

PaginatedResult

A paginated result set.

interface PaginatedResult<T> {
  /** The result items for the current page. */
  data: T[]
  /** Total number of matching items across all pages. */
  total: number
  /** Maximum number of results per page. */
  limit: number
  /** Number of results skipped. */
  offset: number
}

PaginationOptions

Options for paginated queries.

interface PaginationOptions {
  /** Maximum number of results to return. */
  limit?: number
  /** Number of results to skip. */
  offset?: number
}

RestoreResult

Outcome of attempting to restore a trashed item.

interface RestoreResult {
  /** The trash row after `restoredAt` has been stamped. */
  trashedItem: TrashedItem
  /** Whether the supplied callback ran without throwing. */
  callbackSucceeded: boolean
}

TrashedItem

A trashed (soft-deleted) item.

Soft-delete writes a row here capturing a snapshot of the original resource. Restore appends a restoredAt timestamp and re-creates the resource from the snapshot via the caller's restore callback. Purge stamps purgedAt and is irrecoverable.

interface TrashedItem {
  /** Unique trash row identifier. */
  id: string
  /** The type of resource that was trashed (e.g. `'document'`, `'project'`). */
  resourceType: string
  /** The original resource ID that was trashed. */
  resourceId: string
  /** The ID of the user who trashed the item, or `null` if system-generated. */
  userId: string | null
  /** Snapshot of the resource captured at the moment of trashing. */
  snapshot: JSONValue
  /** Optional human-readable reason (e.g. "user delete", "bulk cleanup"). */
  reason: string | null
  /** When the item was moved to trash (ISO 8601). */
  trashedAt: string
  /** Optional expiry timestamp; rows past this can be purged automatically. */
  expiresAt: string | null
  /** When the item was restored, or `null` if still in trash. */
  restoredAt: string | null
  /** ID of the user who restored the item, or `null`. */
  restoredBy: string | null
  /** When the item was permanently purged, or `null` if still recoverable. */
  purgedAt: string | null
}

TrashItemInput

Input for soft-deleting (trashing) a resource.

interface TrashItemInput {
  /** The type of resource being trashed. */
  resourceType: string
  /** The ID of the resource being trashed. */
  resourceId: string
  /** Snapshot of the resource captured at trash time. */
  snapshot: JSONValue
  /** ID of the user trashing the item, or `null` for system-generated. */
  userId?: string | null
  /** Optional human-readable reason. */
  reason?: string | null
  /** Optional retention window in milliseconds; sets `expiresAt = now + ttl`. */
  ttlMs?: number | null
}

Types

JSONValue

A JSON-serializable snapshot value. Constrained by what the underlying JSONB column can accept.

type JSONValue = string | number | boolean | null | JSONValue[] | { [key: string]: JSONValue }

RestoreCallback

A user-supplied callback that re-creates the original resource from a snapshot during {@link restoreFromTrash}.

The callback is responsible for whatever upsert logic the parent resource needs (e.g. inserting via @molecule/api-database's create, or calling a domain-specific service). The trash service does not touch the parent resource directly — it only manages the trash row's lifecycle.

type RestoreCallback = (snapshot: JSONValue, trashedItem: TrashedItem) => Promise<void>

Functions

clearRestoreCallbacks()

Clears all registered restore callbacks. Primarily useful in tests.

function clearRestoreCallbacks(): void

countTrashedItems(options)

Returns the count of active trash rows matching the optional filters.

function countTrashedItems(
  options?: Pick<ListTrashOptions, 'resourceType' | 'userId' | 'includeInactive'>,
): Promise<number>
  • options — Filters (resourceType, userId).

Returns: The number of active trash rows matching the filters.

deleteTrashForResource(resourceType, resourceId)

Hard-deletes every trash row (active or otherwise) that belongs to a resource. Intended for cleanup when the parent resource itself is permanently removed and any audit trail is no longer required.

function deleteTrashForResource(resourceType: string, resourceId: string): Promise<number>
  • resourceType — The resource type.
  • resourceId — The resource ID.

Returns: The number of rows deleted.

getActiveTrashedItem(resourceType, resourceId)

Returns the most recent trash row for a resource, or null if there is no active (un-restored, un-purged) entry.

function getActiveTrashedItem(resourceType: string, resourceId: string): Promise<TrashedItem | null>
  • resourceType — The resource type.
  • resourceId — The resource ID.

Returns: The active trash row, or null.

getRestoreCallback(resourceType)

Returns the restore callback registered for a resource type, or undefined if none has been registered.

function getRestoreCallback(resourceType: string): RestoreCallback | undefined
  • resourceType — The resource type to look up.

Returns: The callback, or undefined.

getTrashedItemById(trashId)

Looks up a trash row by its own ID. Returns rows regardless of restored or purged state (callers needing only-active behavior should filter).

function getTrashedItemById(trashId: string): Promise<TrashedItem | null>
  • trashId — The trash row ID.

Returns: The trash row, or null if not found.

isTrashAdmin(res)

Resolves whether the current request's session belongs to an actor authorized to administer trash (inspect/restore/purge any user's rows). Fail-closed: returns false when there is no authenticated session, and otherwise only true when the session carries an admin claim — isAdmin === true, role === 'admin', roles containing 'admin', or permissions containing 'admin' / 'trash:manage'.

function isTrashAdmin(res: MoleculeResponse): boolean
  • res — The response whose locals.session is inspected.

Returns: true when the session is an authorized trash admin.

list(req, res)

Lists paginated trash rows, defaulting to active-only and newest-first.

Owner-scoped: the owner is derived from res.locals.session.userId and any client-supplied req.query.userId is IGNORED — trash rows capture snapshots of deleted records, so an unscoped list keyed off a client userId would be a one-request cross-tenant dump. Returns 401 when there is no authenticated session. When the opt-in {@link trashAdmin} middleware has set res.locals.trashAdmin, an admin may instead filter by any req.query.userId (or omit it to inspect every user's rows).

function list(req: MoleculeRequest, res: MoleculeResponse): Promise<void>
  • req — The request, with optional resourceType, limit, offset, and includeInactive query params (userId is honored only for admins; ignored otherwise).
  • res — The response object (reads locals.session/locals.trashAdmin).

listTrashedItems(options)

Lists paginated trash rows, defaulting to active-only and newest-first.

function listTrashedItems(options?: ListTrashOptions): Promise<PaginatedResult<TrashedItem>>
  • options — Filter and pagination options.

Returns: A paginated result of trash rows.

purge(req, res)

Permanently purges a trash row by stamping purgedAt. Snapshot is retained for audit purposes; use the programmatic purgeItemHard() service method to remove the row entirely.

function purge(req: MoleculeRequest, res: MoleculeResponse): Promise<void>
  • req — The request with trashId param.
  • res — The response object.

purgeExpired(now)

Soft-purges every active trash row whose expiresAt has passed.

function purgeExpired(now?: Date): Promise<number>
  • now — Optional override for the comparison timestamp (testing).

Returns: The number of rows stamped as purged.

purgeItem(trashId)

Permanently purges a single trash row by stamping purgedAt. The row itself is retained for audit purposes; the snapshot is intentionally left in place so external systems (e.g. compliance) can review it.

Use {@link purgeItemHard} to remove the row entirely.

function purgeItem(trashId: string): Promise<TrashedItem | null>
  • trashId — The trash row ID.

Returns: The updated trash row, or null if not found / already purged.

purgeItemHard(trashId)

Hard-deletes a trash row, including its snapshot. Irreversible.

function purgeItemHard(trashId: string): Promise<boolean>
  • trashId — The trash row ID.

Returns: true if a row was deleted.

read(req, res)

Reads a single trash row by ID.

Owner-scoped: returns 401 with no session, and 404 when the row is missing OR owned by a different user — a non-owner cannot tell the two apart, so the existence of another user's deleted-record snapshot is never leaked. When the opt-in {@link trashAdmin} middleware has set res.locals.trashAdmin, an admin may read any user's row.

function read(req: MoleculeRequest, res: MoleculeResponse): Promise<void>
  • req — The request with trashId param.
  • res — The response object (reads locals.session/locals.trashAdmin).

registerRestoreCallback(resourceType, callback)

Registers a restore callback for a resource type.

Subsequent calls with the same resourceType overwrite the previous registration.

function registerRestoreCallback(resourceType: string, callback: RestoreCallback): void
  • resourceType — The resource type the callback handles.
  • callback — The callback to invoke when restoring rows of this type.

restore(req, res)

Restores a trashed item by invoking the registered restore callback for its resource type and stamping restoredAt on the trash row.

function restore(req: MoleculeRequest, res: MoleculeResponse): Promise<void>
  • req — The request with trashId param.
  • res — The response object.

restoreFromTrash(trashId, userId, callback)

Restores a trashed item: stamps restoredAt on the trash row and invokes the supplied callback to re-create the parent resource from the snapshot.

If the trash row is missing or already restored/purged, returns null. If the callback throws, the trash row is left un-stamped (so the next call can retry) and the error is re-thrown.

function restoreFromTrash(
  trashId: string,
  userId: string | null,
  callback: RestoreCallback,
): Promise<RestoreResult | null>
  • trashId — The trash row ID.
  • userId — The user performing the restore, or null for system.
  • callback — Caller-supplied restore logic that re-creates the parent.

Returns: A {@link RestoreResult}, or null if the row is missing/inactive.

trash(req, res)

Soft-deletes a resource by capturing a snapshot in the trash table.

function trash(req: MoleculeRequest, res: MoleculeResponse): Promise<void>
  • req — The request with resourceType / resourceId params and a snapshot body.
  • res — The response object.

trashAdmin()

Opt-in route middleware that widens an authenticated admin to cross-user trash inspection by setting res.locals.trashAdmin = true. It never blocks: a non-admin (or anonymous) caller passes through unchanged and remains owner-scoped in the handlers, so composing this onto a route can only widen for admins, never open the endpoint. Wire it onto a dedicated admin trash route when a support/compliance console needs to see every user's rows.

function trashAdmin(): MoleculeRequestHandler

Returns: An Express-compatible middleware function.

trashCount(req, res)

Returns the count of active trash rows matching the optional filters.

Owner-scoped: the owner is derived from res.locals.session.userId and any client-supplied req.query.userId is IGNORED, so a caller can only count their own trash. Returns 401 when there is no authenticated session. When the opt-in {@link trashAdmin} middleware has set res.locals.trashAdmin, an admin may instead count by any req.query.userId (or omit it to count all users').

function trashCount(req: MoleculeRequest, res: MoleculeResponse): Promise<void>
  • req — The request, with optional resourceType and includeInactive query params (userId is honored only for admins; ignored otherwise).
  • res — The response object (reads locals.session/locals.trashAdmin).

trashItem(input)

Soft-deletes a resource by writing a snapshot row to the trash table.

function trashItem(input: TrashItemInput): Promise<TrashedItem>
  • input — Trashing input (resource identity, snapshot, optional ttl).

Returns: The newly-created trash row.

unregisterRestoreCallback(resourceType)

Removes any registered restore callback for the given resource type.

function unregisterRestoreCallback(resourceType: string): boolean
  • resourceType — The resource type whose callback should be removed.

Returns: true if a callback was removed.

Constants

i18nRegistered

The i18n registered.

const i18nRegistered: true

requestHandlerMap

Handler map for trash routes.

const requestHandlerMap: {
  readonly trash: typeof trash
  readonly list: typeof list
  readonly trashCount: typeof trashCount
  readonly read: typeof read
  readonly restore: typeof restore
  readonly purge: typeof purge
}

restoreFromTrashSchema

Schema for validating restore input. Body is optional — the trash row to restore is identified by URL params.

const restoreFromTrashSchema: z.ZodObject<
  { reason: z.ZodOptional<z.ZodNullable<z.ZodOptional<z.ZodString>>> },
  z.core.$strip
>

routes

Routes for the trash helper. All routes require authenticate; the handlers additionally scope every read/mutation to the caller's userId.

const routes: readonly [
  {
    readonly method: 'post'
    readonly path: '/:resourceType/:resourceId/trash'
    readonly handler: 'trash'
    readonly middlewares: readonly ['authenticate']
  },
  {
    readonly method: 'get'
    readonly path: '/trash'
    readonly handler: 'list'
    readonly middlewares: readonly ['authenticate']
  },
  {
    readonly method: 'get'
    readonly path: '/trash/count'
    readonly handler: 'trashCount'
    readonly middlewares: readonly ['authenticate']
  },
  {
    readonly method: 'get'
    readonly path: '/trash/:trashId'
    readonly handler: 'read'
    readonly middlewares: readonly ['authenticate']
  },
  {
    readonly method: 'post'
    readonly path: '/trash/:trashId/restore'
    readonly handler: 'restore'
    readonly middlewares: readonly ['authenticate']
  },
  {
    readonly method: 'post'
    readonly path: '/trash/:trashId/purge'
    readonly handler: 'purge'
    readonly middlewares: readonly ['authenticate']
  },
]

TRASH_ADMIN_PERMISSION

Session-claim permission string ('trash:manage') that, when present in a session's permissions array, marks the caller as a trash admin.

const TRASH_ADMIN_PERMISSION: 'trash:manage'

TRASH_PERMISSION_ACTION

Permission action describing trash administration, e.g. for an app's own @molecule/api-permissions wiring.

const TRASH_PERMISSION_ACTION: 'manage'

TRASH_PERMISSION_RESOURCE

Permission resource describing trash administration, e.g. for an app's own @molecule/api-permissions wiring.

const TRASH_PERMISSION_RESOURCE: 'trash'

trashItemSchema

Schema for validating trash-item input (when soft-deleting via the HTTP route). Routes pass resourceType and resourceId via URL params.

const trashItemSchema: z.ZodObject<
  {
    snapshot: z.ZodType<unknown, unknown, z.core.$ZodTypeInternals<unknown, unknown>>
    reason: z.ZodNullable<z.ZodOptional<z.ZodString>>
    ttlMs: z.ZodNullable<z.ZodOptional<z.ZodNumber>>
  },
  z.core.$strip
>

Injection Notes

Requirements

Peer dependencies:

  • @molecule/api-database ^1.0.1
  • @molecule/api-i18n ^1.0.1
  • @molecule/api-locales-trash ^1.0.1
  • @molecule/api-logger ^1.0.1
  • @molecule/api-resource ^1.0.1
  • zod ^4.0.0

Runtime Dependencies

  • @molecule/api-database

  • @molecule/api-i18n

  • @molecule/api-locales-trash

  • @molecule/api-logger

  • @molecule/api-resource

  • zod

  • List endpoints return a PAGINATED envelope { data, total, limit, offset }, not a bare array — read the rows off result.data (server). On the client, unwrapList(res) from @molecule/app-http normalizes this envelope (pass it the whole HttpResponse), so the rows come back; reading the response as a bare array — or res.data alone (which is the envelope) — yields an EMPTY list. Session-auth prerequisite + owner-scoping: every route requires an authenticated session and is owner-scoped IN-HANDLER — the caller is re-derived from res.locals.session.userId (any client-supplied userId is ignored), list/count/read return only the caller's rows, and restore/purge act only on rows the caller owns. Legitimate cross-user access (an admin trash console) is opt-in by composing the trashAdmin middleware onto a route; without it there is no open endpoint. In your own code, always take the user from the session (e.g. getUserId(res)), never req.body.

The HTTP restore route is fail-closed on the callback registry: until registerRestoreCallback(resourceType, cb) runs at startup, restoring that resource type returns 501 — register a callback for EVERY resource type you trash. (Programmatic callers can pass the callback directly to restoreFromTrash().) A row that was already restored or purged returns 409. Handler errors flow through t() with English defaults; install @molecule/api-locales-trash for translations.

Tables: src/__setup__/trashedItems.sql creates trashedItems. An mlcl-scaffolded API replays __setup__/*.sql automatically on migrate; anywhere else run it once — nothing at runtime creates them.

E2E Tests

Soft-delete lifecycle checklist — drive the real UI (live preview, no mocks), adapt each item to this app's actual delete / Trash / restore screens, and check every box off one by one. A box you can't check is a bug to fix — not a skip:

  • Soft-delete tombstones, it does not vanish: deleting an item in the UI removes it from the normal/active view (the parent's list, search, and any counts) yet it appears in the Trash view — the underlying trash row still exists with trashedAt set and restoredAt/purgedAt null. Confirm the same item is absent from active AND present in trash.
  • Restore returns it verbatim: restoring from the Trash view re-creates the parent from its snapshot exactly as it was (same fields/content) and removes it from Trash (restoredAt/restoredBy get stamped, so the active-only trash list and count drop it). Restoring a row already restored or purged is refused (409), never silently duplicated.
  • Purge / empty-trash is distinct from soft-delete and irreversible: permanently deleting a trashed item (or emptying trash) stamps purgedAt / removes the row — it leaves BOTH the active view and the Trash view, and a later restore is refused (409 already-resolved, or 404 once the row is hard-removed). Soft-delete stays recoverable; purge does not.
  • Retention window (only if the app sets one): items trashed with a ttlMs get an expiresAt; once past it they become eligible for auto-purge (purgeExpired) and stop being restorable, matching the stated policy (e.g. "kept 30 days"). Skip only if the app defines no window.
  • No deleted data leaks as active: a soft-deleted item never shows in normal listings, search results, or counts/badges — only in Trash. Verify the active count drops by exactly one on delete and the item is unfindable via search until it is restored.
  • Authorization — each user sees and restores/purges only THEIR OWN trash: signed in as a second user, the Trash view shows none of the first user's items, and guessing another user's trashId into read / restore / purge returns 404 (existence is not leaked — not 403). The owner is taken from the session (any client-supplied userId is ignored), so a restored item returns to its original owner, never the caller.

Translations

Translation strings are provided by @molecule/api-locales-trash.