In simple terms, think of providers as a way to define and manage different things your application needs to work properly. These things are called dependencies.
For example, imagine you have a car. The car has various parts like an engine, tires, and seats. Each of these parts is a dependency because the car relies on them to function correctly.
In the context of Nest.js, providers are like blueprints or definitions for these dependencies. They help you organize and create instances of these dependencies in your application.
In the case of Nest.js, dependencies can take different forms. Here are a few examples:
Services: These are classes that provide specific functionalities to your application. They can handle things like user authentication, data retrieval, or external API interactions.
Repositories: These are classes or objects that handle database operations. They encapsulate the logic to perform tasks like saving data, retrieving records, or executing queries.
Factories: These are functions or classes that create and configure objects. They are useful when you need to dynamically create instances of a particular class based on specific criteria.
Configuration objects: These are objects that hold configuration settings for your application. They can store things like database credentials, API keys, or any other configurable options.
Database connections: These are objects or classes responsible for establishing connections to databases. They handle the low-level communication with the database system.
By using providers, you can define and manage these dependencies in a structured way. Nest.js takes care of creating and injecting these dependencies into the appropriate parts of your application, allowing different components to work together seamlessly.
Providers simplify the process of organizing and reusing code, making it easier to build robust and modular applications. They provide a way to encapsulate and manage the various dependencies your application relies on.