using couchdb with node.js

using-couch-with-node.txt

There are three essential components for most flexibly interacting with CouchDB from node:

couch API documentation:
http://jpmens.net/2010/04/20/the-antepenultimate-couchdb-reference-card/
http://www.couchbase.org/sites/default/files/uploads/all/documentation/couchbase-api.pdf

javascript HTTP library:
http://github.com/mikeal/request

javascript _changes feed consuming libaries (pick one):
http://github.com/mikeal/dbemitter (see the tests folder for example uses)
https://github.com/iriscouch/follow

You won't find the string 'CouchDB' inside the source code for the request library. This is because request is a generic
HTTP library and CouchDB implements an HTTP API. You don't need any fancy abstraction/ORM/client libraries for Couch (more
on this theory here http://www.mikealrogers.com/posts/abstracting-couchdb.html)

Essentially it boils down to understanding the couch data model and API and then writing HTTP queries to interact with it.
Another pattern involves using "_changes consumers" to create a sort of "2.1" tier architecture where you have node 
essentially open a socket and listen to couch and react to changes. Because this is a bunch of HTTP boilerplate it has 
been abstracted into couch specific modules (follow and dbemitter - pick whichever appeals to you more).