Nice, don't install eslint either (plugins/configs are ok) --ESlint, it's included in react npm, and screws everything up

Webpack is good when pre-configured, but takes a lot of practice to get it right. Not often does a boiler plate have all you desire. I prefer Parcel-Bundler, zero-config, 2.0 is coming with optional config file so I hear. Point is, Parcel saves a lot of time (unless using react/vue pre-built). I hate configuring Webpack and im sick of it :)

I concur - Same here w/Desktop Ubuntu, Server Ubuntu. True advice on separate server with SQL (Or AWS RDS pre-paid is quite legitimate). Other than that, an alternative is Docker w/Linux Alpine + Node.

Feathers is probably the fastest and easiest. It uses Hooks like Middleware, yet you can use Express middleware in the Middlware, download the `npm i -g @feathersjs/cli`