Package Exports
- @gov-cy/govcy-express-services
Readme
govcy Express Services
⚠️ Warning:
This package is under active development and is not a finished product. It is intended for testing, acceptance, integration, and browser testing purposes only.No guarantees are provided regarding stability, security, or compliance. Using this package does not imply your product or service will automatically pass any required assessments, audits, or certifications by the Cyprus government or any other authority.
You are responsible for ensuring your own compliance, security, and quality assurance processes.
📝 Description
This project is an Express-based project that dynamically renders online service forms using @gov-cy/govcy-frontend-renderer. It is designed for developers building government services in Cyprus, enabling them to manage user authentication, form submissions, and OpenID authentication workflows in a timely manner.
The project is designed to support the Linear structure as described in the Unified Design System.

Table of contents
- 📝 Description
- ✨ Features
- 📋 Prerequisites
- 🚀 Quick start
- ✅ Best Practices
- 📦 Full installation guide
- 🛠️ Usage
- 🛣️ Routes
- 👨💻 Enviromental variables
- 🔒 Security note
- ❓ Troubleshooting / FAQ
- 🙏 Credits
- 💡 Developer notes
- 📄 License
- 📬 Contact
✨ Features
- Dynamic form rendering from JSON templates
- Support for
textInput,textArea,select,radios,checkboxes,datePicker,dateInput - Support for
conditional radios
- Support for
- Dynamic creation of check your answers page
- OpenID Connect authentication with CY Login
- Middleware-based architecture for better maintainability
- Supports routing for dynamic pages
- Input validation
- CSRF protection
- cyLogin Single Sign-On (SSO) for physical authorized users
- Pre-filling posted values (in the same session)
- Site level API eligibility checks
- API integration with retry logic for form submissions.
📋 Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+
- npm
- A CY Login client ID and secret
- An API endpoint for form submissions (through cyConnect)
🚀 Quick start
# 1. Install the package
npm install @gov-cy/govcy-express-services
# 2. Generate SSL certificates for local development
openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout server.key -out server.cert -days 365 -nodes
# 3. Create a .env file in your project root (see below for required variables)
# 4. Add a minimal data config file in /data (see test.json example)
# 5. Create an index.mjs file:// index.mjs
import initializeGovCyExpressService from '@gov-cy/govcy-express-services';
const service = initializeGovCyExpressService();
service.startServer();# 6. Start the server
npm start- Visit https://localhost:44319 in your browser.
- Log in with CY Login and start using your dynamic service!
Tip:
For more details on configuration, environment variables, and advanced features, see the sections below.
📦 Full installation guide
The project acts as an npm package and you need to install it as a dependency in your npm project. Check out the install notes a detailed installation guide.
✅ Best Practices
Before starting your service, please review the Best Practices guide for guidance on:
- Repository structure
- Environment separation (
dev/staging/prod) - Secure CY Login client registration
- Mandatory footer pages (privacy, cookies, accessibility)
🛠️ Usage
Starting the Server
Add in your package.json:
"scripts": {
"start": "node index.mjs"
}Then run the server using npm start.
npm startThe server will start on https://localhost:44319 (see NOTES.md for more details on this).
Authentication Middleware
Authentication is handled via OpenID Connect using CY Login and is configured using environment variables. The middleware ensures users have valid sessions before accessing protected routes.
The CY Login tokens are used to also connect with the various APIs through cyConnect, so make sure to include the correct scope when requesting for a cyLogin client registration.
The CY Login settings are configured in the .env file.
🧩 Dynamic Services Rendering
Services are rendered dynamically using JSON templates stored in the /data folder. All the service configuration, pages, routes, and logic is stored in the JSON files. The service will load data/:siteId.json to get the form data when a user visits /:siteId/:pageUrl. Checkout the express-service-shema.json and the example JSON structure of the test.json file for more details.
Here are some details explaining the JSON structure:
siteobject: Contains information about the site, including the site ID, language, and footer links. See govcy-frontend-renderer for more details. Some fields that are only specific to the govcy-express-forms project are the following:submission_data_version: The submission data version,renderer_version: The govcy-frontend-renderer version,design_systems_version: The govcy-design-system version,homeRedirectPage: An object mapping language codes to URLs. When a user visits the root route (e.g.,https://whatever-your-service-is.service.gov.cy/), the system redirects to the URL for the user's language. If the user's language is not found, it falls back to"el"or the first available URL. If not provided, a list of available sites is shown. Example:
"homeRedirectPage": { "el": "https://www.gov.cy/service/aitisi-gia-taftotita/", "en": "https://www.gov.cy/en/service/issue-an-id-card/" }
matomo: The Matomo web analytics configuration details.eligibilityAPIEndpoints: An array of API endpoints, to be used for service eligibility. See more on the Eligibility API Endoints section below.submissionAPIEndpoint: The submission API endpoint, to be used for submitting the form. See more on the Submission API Endoint section below.
pagesarray: An array of page objects, each representing a page in the site.pageDataobject: Contains the metadata to be rendered on the page. See govcy-frontend-renderer for more detailspageTemplateobject: Contains the page template to be rendered on the page. See govcy-frontend-renderer for more detailselementsarray: An array of elements to be rendered on the page. See all supported govcy-frontend-renderer elements for more details
A typical service flow that includes pages index, question-1, question-2 under the pages array in the JSON file looks like this:
flowchart LR
govcy-page --> isAuth{Is User Authenticated?}
isAuth -- Yes<br><br> Eligibility Check --> index([:siteId/index])
isAuth -- No --> cyLogin[cyLogin]
cyLogin -- Eligibility Check --> index
index -- Eligibility Check<br> Validations<br> Conditionals --> question-1[:siteId/question-1]
question-1 -- Eligibility Check<br> Validations<br> Conditionals --> question-2[:siteId/question-2]
question-2 -- Eligibility Check<br> Validations<br> Conditionals --> review[📄:siteId/review <br> <br> Automatically generated]
review -- Eligibility Check<br> All Validations<br> All Conditionals --> success([✅:siteId/success <br> <br> Automatically generated])
Some pages are generated automatically by the project, such as the review and success pages.
Pages
Pages defined in the JSON file under the pages array, they rendered based on the govcy-frontend-renderer library, and they are served by the /:siteId/:pageUrl route. The pageData.nextPage field is used to determine the next page to render.
Here's an example of a page defined in the JSON file:
{
"pageData": {
"url": "index",
"title": {
"el": "Your email",
"en": "Το email σας"
},
"layout": "layouts/govcyBase.njk",
"mainLayout": "two-third",
"nextPage": "telephone-number",
"conditions": [
{
"expression": "dataLayer['test-service.inputData.somePage.formData.showExtra'] != 'yes'",
"redirect": "review"
}
]
},
"pageTemplate": {
"sections": [
{
"name": "beforeMain",
"elements": [
{
"element": "backLink",
"params": {}
}
],
"params": {}
},
{
"name": "main",
"elements": [
{
"element": "form",
"params": {
"elements": [
{
"element": "textInput",
"params": {
"label": {
"en": "What is your email?",
"el": "Ποιο είναι το email σας?"
},
"id": "email",
"name": "email",
"hint": {
"en": "We’ll only use this email for this application",
"el": "Θα χρησιμοποιήσουμε το email σας μόνο για αυτήν την υπηρεσία"
},
"type": "email",
"isPageHeading": true,
"fixedWidth": "50"
},
"validations": [
{
"check": "required",
"params": {
"message": {
"en": "Enter your email",
"el": "Εισαγάγετε το email σας"
}
}
},
{
"check": "valid",
"params": {
"checkValue": "email",
"message": {
"en": "Your email must be a valid email address",
"el": "To emial πρέπει να είναι έχει μορφή email address"
}
}
}
]
},
{
"element": "button",
"params": {
"id": "continue",
"variant": "primary",
"text": {
"el": "Συνέχεια",
"en": "Continue"
}
}
}
]
}
}
]
}
]
}
}The above page JSON generates a page that looks like the following screenshot:

The JSON structure is based on the govcy-frontend-renderer's JSON template.
Lets break down the JSON config for this page:
- pageData are the page's meta data, such as the URL, title, layout, mainLayout, and nextPage.
pageData.urlis the URL of the page, in this case it's:siteId/indexpageData.titleis the title of the page, in this case it'sYour email. This will be used in thereview,successpages, the PDF, the email, and the submission platform.pageData.layoutis the layout used to render the page. The project only supports the default layoutlayouts/govcyBase.njkpageData.mainLayoutis the layout of themainsection of the page, in this case it'stwo-third. It can be eithertwo-thirdormax-width,pageData.nextPageis the next page to redirect to when the user clicks thecontinuebutton and all validations pass, in this case it will redirect to/:siteId/telephone-numberpageData.conditionsis the array that defines the conditional logic
- pageTemplate is the page's template, which is a JSON object that contains the sections and elements of the page. Check out the govcy-frontend-renderer's documentation for more details.
Forms vs static content
- If the
pageTemplateincludes aformelement in themainsection andbuttonelement, the system will treat it as form and will:- Perform the eligibility checks
- Display the form
- Collect the form data
- Validate the form data
- Store the form data in the systems data layer
- Redirect the user to the next page (or
reviewpage if the user came from the review page)
- Else if the
pageTemplatedoes not include aformelement in themainsection, the system will treat it as static content and will:- Not perform the eligibility checks
- Display the static content
When designing form pages, refer to the Unified Design System's question pages pattern.
Error pages
Pages that can be used to display messages when eligibility or submission fail are simply static content pages. That is pages that do not include a form element.
Start page
The start page should be created in the gov.cy portal and should be defined in the site.homeRedirectPage property in the site config JSON file. All pages within a service are private by default and can only be accessed by authenticated users, so the start page cannot be created in the JSON file.
Notes:
- Check out the govcy-frontend-renderer's design elements for more details on the supported elements and their parameters.
- Check out the input validations section for more details on how to add validations to the JSON file.
Review page
The review page is automatically generated by the project and includes the following sections:
- Summary: A summary of the data from all the pages in the service.
- Change links: A list of links to each page in the service.
- Submit button: A button to submit the form.
Here's an example screenshot of review page

When the user clicks a change link, the user is redirected to the corresponding page in the service. After the user clicks on continue button the user is redirected back to the review page.
When the user clicks the Submit button, all the data gathered from the site's forms within this session are validated based on the validation definition in the JSON file, and if they pass they are submitted to the configured API endpoint.
Success page
The success page is automatically generated by the project, is accessible only when a submission is made successfully, and includes the following sections:
- Success banner: A banner indicating that the form was successfully submitted, with the reference number of the submission.
- PDF Download link: A link to download the PDF of the submission's data in a human-readable format.
- Summary: A summary of the data from all the pages in the service.
Here's an example screenshot of success page

🛡️ Site eligibility checks
The project uses an array of API endpoints to check the eligibility of a service/site. To use this feature, you need to configure the following in your JSON file under the site object:
"eligibilityAPIEndpoints" : [
{
"url": "TEST_ELIGIBILITY_1_API_URL",
"method": "POST",
"clientKey": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_CLIENT_KEY",
"serviceId": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_SERVIVE_ID",
"cashingTimeoutMinutes": 2,
"params": {
"checkFor": "isCitizen,isAdult"
},
"response": {
"errorResponse": {
"102": {
"error": "user not administrator",
"page": "/test/user-not-admin"
}
}
}
},
{
"url": "TEST_ELIGIBILITY_2_API_URL",
"clientKey": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_CLIENT_KEY",
"serviceId": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_SERVIVE_ID",
"cashingTimeoutMinutes": 60,
"response": {
"errorResponse": {
"105": {
"error": "user not registration",
"page": "/test/user-not-registered"
}
}
}
}
]If no eligibilityAPIEndpoints are configured, the system will not check for service eligibility for the specific site.
Lets break the JSON config down:
eligibilityAPIEndpoints: An array of API endpoints, to be used for service eligibility.url: The enviromental variable that holds the URL of the API endpoint.method: The HTTP method to use when making the request.clientId: The enviromental variable that holds the client ID to use when making the request.clientSecret: The enviromental variable that holds the client secret to use when making the request.dsfgtwApiKey(optional): To be used only when using APIs through the DSF gateway instead of cyConnectcashingTimeoutMinutes: The number of minutes to cache the response from the API endpoint. If set to0, the API endpoint will be called every time.params: An object of key-value pairs that will be added to the request body when making the request.response: An object of expected response whensucceeded===false, to be used for the system to know which error page to show.
The above config references the following environment variables that need to be set:
TEST_ELIGIBILITY_1_API_URL=http://localhost:3002/check1
TEST_ELIGIBILITY_2_API_URL=http://localhost:3002/check2
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_CLIENT_KEY=12345678901234567890123456789000
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_SERVIVE_ID=123With the above config, when a user visits a page under the specific site, /:siteId/*, the service sends a request to the configured eligibility API endpoints. If any of the API endpoints returns succeeded: false, the user is redirected to the error page specified in the response object.
The response is cached to the session storage for the specified number of minutes. If the cashingTimeoutMinutes is set to 0, the API endpoint will be called every time.
Here's a flowchart showing how the eligibility checks work:
flowchart LR
A[🧭 User visits /:siteId/* page] --> B{{❓ Are eligibilityAPIEndpoints configured?}}
B -- No --> H[✅ Access granted<br>Show page]
B -- Yes --> D[🔁 Loop through API endpoints]
D --> D1{{❓ Is cached response still valid?}}
D1 -- Yes --> D2[🗃️ Use cached result]
D1 -- No --> E[🔄 Send request with:<br>- Method GET or POST<br>- Auth header<br>- Params or body]
D2 --> F{{❓ Did cached result<br>have Succeeded: true?}}
E --> F
F -- Yes --> G{{❓ More endpoints to check?}}
G -- Yes --> D
G -- No --> H
F -- No --> I[📄 Check ErrorCode<br>in config]
I --> J{{❓ Is ErrorCode in config?}}
J -- Yes --> K[❌ Redirect to configured error page]
J -- No --> L[❌ Show generic error page]
Eligibility API request and response
For each eligibility API endpoint, the project sends a request to the API endpoint. The project uses the CY Connect - OAuth 2.0 (CY Login) authentication policy, so the user's <access_token> is sent in the Authorization header.
Eligibility Request
- HTTP Method:
- Defined per endpoint in the method property (defaults to GET if not specified).
- URL:
- Resolved from the url property in your config (from the environment variable).
- Headers:
- Authorization:
Bearer <access_token>(form user's cyLogin access token) - client-key:
<clientKey>(from config/env) - service-id:
<serviceId>(from config/env) - Accept: text/plain Parameters: The params object in your config is sent as query parameters for GET requests and as the request body for POST requests.
- Authorization:
Example GET Request:
GET /check-eligibility?checkFor=isCitizen,isAdult HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:3002
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOi...
client-key: 12345678901234567890123456789000
service-id: 123
Accept: text/plainExample POST Request:
POST /check-eligibility HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:3002
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOi...
client-key: 12345678901234567890123456789000
service-id: 123
Accept: text/plain
Content-Type: application/json
{
"checkFor": "isCitizen,isAdult"
}Eligibility Response
The API is expected to return a JSON response with the following structure (see govcyApiRequest.mjs for normalization):
On Success:
{
"Succeeded": true,
"ErrorCode": 0,
"ErrorMessage": null,
}On Failure:
{
"Succeeded": false,
"ErrorCode": 102,
"ErrorMessage": "user not administrator"
}Notes:
- If no
eligibilityAPIEndpointsare configured, the system will not check for service eligibility for the specific site. - The response is normalized to always use PascalCase keys (
Succeeded,ErrorCode, etc.), regardless of the backend’s casing. - If
Succeededis false, the system will look up theErrorCodein your config to determine which error page to show.
Caching
- The response from each eligibility endpoint is cached in the session for the number of minutes specified by
cashingTimeoutMinutes. - If
cashingTimeoutMinutesis set to 0, the API endpoint will be called every time (no caching). - If omitted or null, the result is cached indefinitely.
Error Handling
- If the API returns
Succeeded: false, the user is redirected to the error page specified in your config for that error code. - If the API response is invalid or the request fails after retries, a generic error is shown.
References
- Eligibility check logic: See govcyServiceEligibilityHandler.mjs
- API call, normalization and retries: See govcyApiRequest.mjs
📤 Site Submissions
The project uses an API endpoint to submit the form data. The project uses the CY Connect - OAuth 2.0 (CY Login) authentication policy, so the user's <access_token> is sent in the Authorization header.
To use this feature, you need to configure the following in your JSON file under the site object:
"submissionAPIEndpoint": {
"url": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_URL",
"clientKey": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_CLIENT_KEY",
"serviceId": "TEST_SUBMISSION_API_SERVIVE_ID",
"response": {
"errorResponse": {
"102": {
"error": "user not administrator",
"page": "/test/user-not-admin"
},
"105": {
"error": "user not registration",
"page": "/test/user-not-registered"
}
}
}
}Lets break the JSON config down:
submissionAPIEndpoint: The submission API endpoint, to be used for submitting the form.url: The enviromental variable that holds the URL of the API endpoint.clientId: The enviromental variable that holds the client ID to use when making the request.clientSecret: The enviromental variable that holds the client secret to use when making the request.dsfgtwApiKey(optional): To be used only when using APIs through the DSF gateway instead of cyConnectresponse: An object of expected response whenSucceeded===false, to be used for the system to know which error page to show.
The above config references the following environment variables that need to be set:
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_URL=http://localhost:3002/success
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_CLIENT_KEY=12345678901234567890123456789000
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_SERVIVE_ID=123With the above config, when a user submits the review page, the service sends a request to the configured submission API endpoint.
Here's a flowchart showing how the submission work:
flowchart LR
A[📤 User submits review page] --> B[🔄 Send POST request]
B --> C{{❓ Did response have Succeeded: true?}}
C -- Yes --> D[✅ Show success confirmation with reference code]
C -- No --> E[📄 Check ErrorCode in config]
E --> F{{❓ Is ErrorCode in config?}}
F -- Yes --> G[❌ Redirect to configured error page]
F -- No --> H[❌ Show generic error page]
B --> I{{❓ Did request fail or return invalid response?}}
I -- Yes --> H
Submission API Request and Response
Submission Request:
- HTTP Method: POST
- URL: Resolved from the url property in your config (from the environment variable).
- Headers:
- Authorization:
Bearer <access_token>(form user's cyLogin access token) - client-key:
<clientKey>(from config/env) - service-id:
<serviceId>(from config/env) - Accept:
text/plain
- Authorization:
- Body: The body contains the prepared submission data, which is a JSON object with all the form data collected from the user across all pages.
Example Request:
POST /submission-endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: localhost:3002
Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOi...
client-key: 12345678901234567890123456789000
service-id: 123
Accept: text/plain
Content-Type: application/json
{
"submission_username": "username",
"submission_email": "email@example.com",
"submission_data": "{\"index\":{\"formData\":{\"certificate_select\":[\"birth\",\"permanent_residence\"]}}}",
"submission_data_version": "1",
"print_friendly_data": "[{\"pageUrl\":\"index\",\"pageTitle\":{\"el\":\"Επιλογή Εγγάφου\",\"en\":\"Document selection\",\"tr\":\"\"},\"fields\":[{\"id\":\"certificate_select\",\"name\":\"certificate_select\",\"label\":{\"el\":\"Τι έγγραφα επιθυμείτε να εκδώσετε;\",\"en\":\"What documents do you wish to issue?\"},\"value\":[\"birth\",\"permanent_residence\"],\"valueLabel\":[{\"el\":\"Πιστοποιητικό γέννησης\",\"en\":\"Birth certificate\",\"tr\":\"\"},{\"el\":\"Βεβαίωση μόνιμης διαμονής\",\"en\":\"Certificate of permanent residence\",\"tr\":\"\"}]}]}]",
"renderer_data": "{\"element\":\"summaryList\",\"params\":{\"items\":[{\"key\":{\"el\":\"Επιλογή Εγγάφου\",\"en\":\"Document selection\",\"tr\":\"\"},\"value\":[{\"element\":\"summaryList\",\"params\":{\"items\":[{\"key\":{\"el\":\"Τι έγγραφα επιθυμείτε να εκδώσετε;\",\"en\":\"What documents do you wish to issue?\"},\"value\":[{\"element\":\"textElement\",\"params\":{\"text\":{\"en\":\"Birth certificate, Certificate of permanent residence\",\"el\":\"Birth certificate, Certificate of permanent residence\",\"tr\":\"Birth certificate, Certificate of permanent residence\"},\"type\":\"span\"}}]}]}}]}]}}",
"renderer_version": "1.14.3",
"design_systems_version": "3.2.0",
"service": "{\"id\":\"test\",\"title\":{\"el\":\"Υπηρεσία τεστ\",\"en\":\"Test service\",\"tr\":\"\"}}"
}Submission Response
The API is expected to return a JSON response with the following structure (see govcyApiRequest.mjs for normalization):
On Success:
{
"Succeeded": true,
"ErrorCode": 0,
"ErrorMessage": null,
"Data": {
"referenceValue": "12345678"
}
}On Failure:
{
"Succeeded": false,
"ErrorCode": 102,
"ErrorMessage": "user not administrator"
}Notes:
- The response is normalized to always use PascalCase keys (
Succeeded,ErrorCode, etc.), regardless of the backend’s casing. - If
Succeededis false, the system will look up theErrorCodein your config to determine which error page to show.
Error Handling
- If the API returns
Succeeded: false, the user is redirected to the error page specified in your config for that error code. - If the API response is invalid or the request fails after retries, a generic error is shown.
References
- Request/response logic: See govcyReviewPostHandler.mjs
- API call, normalization and retries: See govcyApiRequest.mjs
Submission Data
The data is collected from the form elements and the data layer and are sent via the submission API in the following format:
"submissionData": { // Site level successful submission data
"submission_username" : "", // User's username
"submission_email" : "", // User's email
"submission_data": "{}", // Raw data as submitted by the user in each page
"submission_data_version": "",// The submission data version
"print_friendly_data": "[]", // Print friendly data
"renderer_data" :"{}", // Renderer data of the summary list
"renderer_version": "", // The renderer version
"design_systems_version": "", // The design systems version
"service": "{}" // Service info
}Submission Data Sample
Click here for a sample submission data JSON
ℹ️ Note:
When sent to the API, the fields
submission_data,renderer_data,print_friendly_data, andserviceare stringified usingJSON.stringify().The sample below shows the structure before stringification for clarity.
{
"submission_username": "username", // User's username
"submission_email": "email@example.com", // User's email
"submission_data_version": "0.1", // Submission data version
"submission_data": { // Submission raw data. Object, will be stringified
"index": { // Page level
"formData": {
"id_select": ["id", "arc"], // field level. Could be string or array
"id_number": "654654",
"arc_number": "",
"aka": "232323"
}
},
"appointment": {
"formData": {
"diorismos": "monimos",
"fileno_monimos": "3233",
"eidikotita_monimos": "1",
"fileno_sumvasiouxos": "",
"eidikotita_sumvasiouxos": "",
"fileno_aoristou": "",
"eidikotita_aoristou": "",
"program": "",
"fileno_orismenou": ""
}
},
"takeover": {
"formData": {
"date_start_day": "11",
"date_start_month": "12",
"date_start_year": "2020",
"date_on_contract": "date_other",
"date_contract": "16/04/2025",
"reason": "24324dssf"
}
}
},
"submission_data_version": "1", // Submission data version
"renderer_data": { // Summary list renderer data ready for rendering . Object, will be stringified
"element": "summaryList",
"params": {
"items": [
{
"key": {
"el": "Στοιχεία του εκπαιδευτικού",
"en": "Educator's details",
"tr": ""
},
"value": [
{
"element": "summaryList",
"params": {
"items": [
{
"key": {
"el": "Ταυτοποίηση",
"en": "Identification"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "Ταυτότητα, ARC",
"el": "Ταυτότητα, ARC",
"tr": "Ταυτότητα, ARC"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Εισαγάγετε αριθμό ταυτότητας",
"en": "Enter ID number"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "121212",
"el": "121212",
"tr": "121212"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Αριθμός κοινωνικών ασφαλίσεων",
"en": "Social Insurance Number"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "112121",
"el": "112121",
"tr": "112121"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
}
]
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Διορισμός εκπαιδευτικού",
"en": "Teachers appointment",
"tr": ""
},
"value": [
{
"element": "summaryList",
"params": {
"items": [
{
"key": {
"el": "Τι διορισμό έχει ο εκπαιδευτικός;",
"en": "What type of appointment does the teacher have?"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "Συμβασιούχος",
"el": "Συμβασιούχος",
"tr": "Συμβασιούχος"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Αριθμός φακέλου (ΠΜΠ)",
"en": "File Number"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "1212",
"el": "1212",
"tr": "1212"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Ειδικότητα",
"en": "Specialty"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "Καθηγητής",
"el": "Καθηγητής",
"tr": "Καθηγητής"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
}
]
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Ημερομηνία ανάληψης",
"en": "Takeover date",
"tr": ""
},
"value": [
{
"element": "summaryList",
"params": {
"items": [
{
"key": {
"el": "Ημερομηνία ανάληψης",
"en": "Start Date"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "16/04/2025",
"el": "16/04/2025",
"tr": "16/04/2025"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
},
{
"key": {
"el": "Η ημερομηνία αυτή είναι η ίδια με αυτή του συμβολαίου;",
"en": "Is this date the same as the contract date?"
},
"value": [
{
"element": "textElement",
"params": {
"text": {
"en": "Ναι, είναι η ίδια με αυτή του συμβολαίου",
"el": "Ναι, είναι η ίδια με αυτή του συμβολαίου",
"tr": "Ναι, είναι η ίδια με αυτή του συμβολαίου"
},
"type": "span"
}
}
]
}
]
}
}
]
}
]
}
},
"print_friendly_data": [ // Print friendly data. Object, will be stringified
{
"pageUrl": "index", // Page URL
"pageTitle": { // Page title
"el": "Στοιχεία του εκπαιδευτικού",
"en": "Educator's details",
"tr": ""
},
"fields": [ // Fields
{
"id": "id_select", // Field ID
"label": { // Field label
"el": "Ταυτοποίηση",
"en": "Identification"
},
"value": ["id", "arc"], // Field value. Could be string or array
"valueLabel": [ // Field value label. Could be string or array
{
"el": "Ταυτότητα",
"en": "ID",
"tr": ""
},
{
"el": "ARC",
"en": "ARC",
"tr": ""
}
]
},
{
"id": "id_number",
"label": {
"el": "Εισαγάγετε αριθμό ταυτότητας",
"en": "Enter ID number"
},
"value": "654654",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "654654",
"en": "654654"
}
},
{
"id": "aka",
"label": {
"el": "Αριθμός κοινωνικών ασφαλίσεων",
"en": "Social Insurance Number"
},
"value": "232323",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "232323",
"en": "232323"
}
}
]
},
{
"pageUrl": "appointment",
"pageTitle": {
"el": "Διορισμός εκπαιδευτικού",
"en": "Teachers appointment",
"tr": ""
},
"fields": [
{
"id": "diorismos",
"label": {
"el": "Τι διορισμό έχει ο εκπαιδευτικός;",
"en": "What type of appointment does the teacher have?"
},
"value": "monimos",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "Μόνιμος επί δοκιμασία",
"en": "Permanent on probation",
"tr": ""
}
},
{
"id": "fileno_monimos",
"label": {
"el": "Αριθμός φακέλου (ΠΜΠ)",
"en": "File Number"
},
"value": "3233",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "3233",
"en": "3233"
}
},
{
"id": "eidikotita_monimos",
"label": {
"el": "Ειδικότητα",
"en": "Specialty"
},
"value": "1",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "Δάσκαλος",
"en": "Elementary teacher",
"tr": ""
}
}
]
},
{
"pageUrl": "takeover",
"pageTitle": {
"el": "Ημερομηνία ανάληψης",
"en": "Takeover date",
"tr": ""
},
"fields": [
{
"id": "date_start",
"label": {
"el": "Ημερομηνία ανάληψης",
"en": "Start Date"
},
"value": "2020-12-11",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "11/12/2020",
"en": "11/12/2020"
}
},
{
"id": "date_on_contract",
"label": {
"el": "Η ημερομηνία αυτή είναι η ίδια με αυτή του συμβολαίου;",
"en": "Is this date the same as the contract date?"
},
"value": "date_other",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "Όχι, αυτή είναι διαφορετική",
"en": "No, this is different",
"tr": ""
}
},
{
"id": "date_contract",
"label": {
"el": "Ημερομηνία συμβολαίου",
"en": "Contract Date"
},
"value": "16/04/2025",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "16/04/2025",
"en": "16/04/2025"
}
},
{
"id": "reason",
"label": {
"el": "Αιτιολόγηση καθυστέρησης στην ανάληψη καθηκόντων",
"en": "Reason for delay in assuming duties"
},
"value": "24324dssf",
"valueLabel": {
"el": "24324dssf",
"en": "24324dssf"
}
}
]
}
],
"renderer_version": "1.14.1", // Renderer version
"design_systems_version": "3.1.0", // Design systems version
"service": { // Service metadata. Object, will be stringified
"id": "takeover",
"title": {
"el": "Βεβαίωση ανάληψης καθηκόντων εκπαιδευτικών",
"en": "Certificate of teachers takeover"
}
}
}
✅ Input Validations
The project includes input validation for the following elements:
textInputtextAreaselectradioscheckboxesdatePickerdateInput
The validation rules for each element are defined in the "validations array for each element. The project support the following validations:
valid: Checks the value against the specified rule'scheckValue. Available rules:numeric: Numeri inputnumDecimal: Numeric decimal inputcurrency: Currency input (numeric with 2 decimal places)alpha: Alphabetic inputalphaNum: Alphanumeric inputname: Name inputtel: Telephone inputmobile: Mobile inputtelCY: Cyprus telephone inputmobileCY: Cyprus mobile inputiban: IBAN inputemail: Email inputdate: Date input (DD/MM/YYYY)dateISO: ISO date inputYYYY-M-DdateDMY: European/Common Format date inputD/M/YYYY
required: Checks if the value is not null, undefined, or an empty string (after trimming).length: Checks if the value has a maximum length passed in thecheckValueparameter.regCheck: Checks if the value matches the specified regular expression passed in thecheckValueparameter.minValue: Checks if the value is greater than or equal to the specified minimum value passed in thecheckValueparameter.maxValue: Checks if the value is less than or equal to the specified maximum value passed in thecheckValueparameter.minValueDate: Checks if the value is greater than or equal to the specified minimum date passed in thecheckValueparameter.maxValueDate: Checks if the value is less than or equal to the specified maximum date passed in thecheckValueparameter.minLength: Checks if the value has a minimum length passed in thecheckValueparameter.
Example:
"validations": [
{
"check": "required",
"params": {
"message": {
"en": "Enter your IBAN",
"el": "Εισαγάγετε το IBAN σας"
}
}
},
{
"check": "valid",
"params": {
"checkValue": "iban",
"message": {
"en": "IBAN must be a valιd iban, for example",
"el": "To ΙΒΑΝ πρέπει να είναι έχει μορφή iban"
}
}
}
]✅ Conditional logic
The project supports conditional logic on pages. Conditional logic is evaluated using a custom govcyExpressions.mjs module, which executes expressions in a safe and scoped context using new Function. Only safe data access through the dataLayer is allowed. The system uses expressions and session data from the service's data layer to decide if a page will be shown or not.
The conditional logic is defined in the pageData.conditions array for each page. The project calculates the pageData.conditions[i].expression expression at run time and if the condition is true, the current page is ignored and the user is redirected to the pageData.conditions[i].redirect url. The pages whose conditions are true:
- are skiped from normal flow and user is redirected to the
pageData.conditions[i].redirecturl - the pages are ignored from:
- the review page summary list, success page summary list and email
- when validating all inputs when posting the review page (before submission)
- the data submitted via the API
The following diagram shows the logic that runs on every request to a page. If any condition evaluates to true, the page is skipped and the user is redirected.
flowchart LR
A[⬅️ User navigates to /:siteId/:pageUrl] --> B{{Does pageData.conditions exist?}}
B -- No --> C[✅ Render the page]
B -- Yes --> D[🔁 Loop through conditions]
D --> E{{Evaluate condition.expression}}
E -- returns true --> F[➡️ Redirect to condition.redirect]
E -- returns false --> G{{More conditions?}}
G -- Yes --> D
G -- No --> C[✅ Render the page]How to define conditional logic
Each page in your JSON config can optionally include a conditions array inside the pageData object. The conditions array is an array of objects that define the conditions to evaluate and the corresponding redirect URL. For example the following JSON config:
"conditions": [
{
"expression": "dataLayer['my-service.inputData.step1.formData.showExtra'] == 'no'",
"redirect": "review"
}
]Here is the same example as part of the page config:
{
"pageData": {
"url": "page-1",
"title": {
"el": "Σελίδα 1",
"en": "Page 1",
"tr": ""
},
"layout": "layouts/govcyBase.njk",
"mainLayout": "two-third",
"conditions": [ //---- conditionals start here
{
"expression": "dataLayer['my-service.inputData.step1.formData.showExtra'] == 'no'",
"redirect": "review"
}
], //---- conditionals end here
"nextPage": "page-2"
},
"pageTemplate": {
"sections": [
...
...
}
}When the condition evaluates to true, the page is skipped and the user is redirected to the given redirect URL and are excluded from the service. Note that:
- Multiple conditions are checked in order (first match wins)
- Conditions can be chained across pages (redirect triggers another check)
Expressions
Expressions are written using JavaScript syntax and are evaluated at runtime in a sandboxed environment. You can use:
- comparison operators (
==,===,!=,<,>, etc.) - logical operators (
&&,||,!) - string methods (
.includes(),.toLowerCase()) - safety fallbacks using
||or optional chaining?..
🔐 Only the dataLayer variable is available inside the expression scope, all other variables or globals (like window, document, etc.) are blocked for safety.
Some supported examples:
dataLayer['site.inputData.page.formData.agree'] === 'yes'
(dataLayer['site.inputData.page.formData.age'] || 0) >= 18
String(dataLayer['site.inputData.page.formData.status'] || '').toLowerCase().includes('inactive')Expressions should not:
- Try to access external or global variables (they are not available).
- Attempt to execute unsafe operations like
fetch(),eval(),alert(), etc.
Expressions are parsed using new Function() inside a restricted evaluator (govcyExpressions.mjs), and errors are caught and logged without crashing the application. If an expression returns true, the corresponding redirect is triggered.
Data used in the expressions with the dataLayer
The expressions can only access dataLayer values. The data layer is basically a read-only object that contains the data stored within a session, things like values inputed by the user or results from eligibility checks. It's scoped per site and follows a strict structure. Note that you can only use the dataLayer array to access data for the current site.
To use data layer values, use the special dataLayer[] array. For example dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.index.formData.showExtra'] will get the value stored in the data store for:
conditional-test-servicerefers to the site with that siteIDinputDatais a reserved word for the data inputed by the user for that siteindexrefers to the page with that URLformDatais a reserved word for the form data (already inputed data by the user) for that pageshowExtrarefers to a input component with that name
The dataLayer typically contains keys such as:
inputData: All data submitted by the user through formseligibilityResults: Cached results from service eligibility API checks
Example structure for a service with ID my-service:
dataLayer = {
'my-service.inputData.index.formData.fullName': 'John Smith',
'my-service.inputData.index.formData.age': '34',
'my-service.inputData.contact-details.formData.telephone': '+35712345678',
'my-service.inputData.contact-details.formData.email': 'test@example.com',
"my-service.inputData.what-do-you-want.formData.certificate-select": [
"birth",
"permanent_residence"
],
'my-service.inputData.want-to-apply.formData.option-radio': 'yes',
'my-service.eligibilityResults.check1.succeeded': true,
'my-service.eligibilityResults.check2.ErrorCode': 0
}
If any part of the key path is missing (e.g., the page hasn’t been visited yet or a form field was left empty), the expression will safely return undefined and will not throw an error. This behavior is by design, so that conditional logic expressions can fail silently and fallback gracefully.
For this reason, it's strongly recommended to use fallback values using ||, like:
String(dataLayer['my-site.inputData.index.formData.status'] || '').toLowerCase()Best practice note
Developers should ensure expressions are resilient to missing or undefined values in the data layer. Since invalid paths like dataLayer['x.y.z'] will return undefined and will not throw errors, use fallbacks such as || '' or wrappers like String(...).toLowerCase() to avoid unexpected behavior. Silent false positives are possible if expressions do not guard against undefined values.
Bad Example:
dataLayer['site.inputData.page.formData.status'].toLowerCase().includes('inactive')This will throw an error if status is undefined.
Good Example:
String(dataLayer['site.inputData.page.formData.status'] || '').toLowerCase().includes('inactive')This ensures the expression works even if the field is missing or undefined.
Examples of conditional logic configuration
See below some examples how to use the conditional logic for pages.
1. Simple example:
"conditions": [
{
"expression": "dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.index.formData.showExtra'] == 'no'",
"redirect": "next-page"
}
]Explanation:
dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.index.formData.showExtra']: gets the value stored in the data store for:- site with siteID
conditional-test-service - input data for that site
- page with URL
index - form data (already inputed data by the user) for that page
- field with name
showExtra
- site with siteID
== 'no': checks if the value is equal to 'no'
2. Expression example using JS string functions:
"conditions": [
{
"expression": "dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.index.formData.showExtra'] == 'no' && String(dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.details.formData.info'] || '').toLowerCase().includes('hide')",
"redirect": "next-page"
}
]Explanation:
String(dataLayer['...'] || ''): ensures it's always a string, even if the value isundefinedornull.toLowerCase(): converts the string to lowercase.includes('hide'): checks if the string contains the substring 'hide'.
3. Multiple conditions example:
"conditions": [
{
"expression": "String(dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.index.formData.showExtra'] || '').toLowerCase().includes('no')",
"redirect": "next-page"
},
{
"expression": "String(dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.details.formData.info'] || '').toLowerCase().includes('hide')",
"redirect": "review"
}
]Explanation:
- Multiple conditions are checked in order (first match wins)
String(dataLayer['...'] || ''): ensures it's always a string, even if the value isundefinedornull.toLowerCase(): converts the string to lowercase.includes('hide'): checks if the string contains the substring 'hide'.
4.Example with select input that can have either string or array value:
"conditions": [
{
"expression": "[].concat(dataLayer['conditional-test-service.inputData.index.formData.certificate_select'] || []).includes('birth')",
"redirect": "next-page"
}
]Explanation:
dataLayer['...']: accesses the field from the session data.|| []: ensures it's always an array, even if the value isundefinedornull.[].concat(...): safely flattens a string or array into an array..includes('value1'): checks if the value is selected.
🛣️ Routes
The project uses express.js to serve the following routes:
Service routes:
/:siteId: Requires cyLogin authentication for authorized individual users. Redirects to/:siteId/index./:siteId/:pageUrl: Requires cyLogin authentication for authorized individual users. Based on/data/:siteId.json, Renders the specified page template. Validates page and saves data to session. If validation fails, errors are displayed with links to the inputs./:siteId/review: Requires cyLogin authentication for authorized individual users. Renders the check your answers page template. Validates all pages in the service and submits the data to the configured API endpoint. If validation fails, errors are displayed with links to the relevant pages./:siteId/success: Requires cyLogin authentication for authorized individual users. Renders latest successful submission./:siteId/success/pdf: Requires cyLogin authentication for authorized individual users. Downloads the PDF of the latest successful submission.
Authentication routes:
/signin-oidc: CY Login authentication endpoint./login: Redirect to CY Login login page./logout: CY Login logout endpoint.
Absolutely! Here’s a ready-to-paste Troubleshooting / FAQ section you can add near the end of your README, just before Credits or Developer notes.
👨💻 Enviromental variables
The environment variables (that are defined in the .env file locally) control the server configuration, authentication, integrations, and development behavior.
Server environment variables
The following environment variables are used to configure the server:
# 🔐 Session
SESSION_SECRET=12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
# Secret used to sign session cookies. Use a long, random string in production.
# 🌐 Server
PORT=44319
# The port the Express server runs on.
NODE_ENV=development
# Set to 'development', 'staging', or 'production'. Enables optimizations and logging behavior.
DEBUG=true
# Set to false in production to disable debug logging.
ALLOW_SELF_SIGNED_CERTIFICATES=false
# Allow self-signed SSL certs (e.g. for local development). Set to false in production.
CY Login environment variables
The following environment variables are used to configure CY Login authentication:
CYLOGIN_ISSUER_URL=https://aztest.cyprus.gov.cy/cylogin/core/.well-known/openid-configuration
# The OIDC issuer URL for discovery.
CYLOGIN_CLIENT_ID=your-CYLOGIN-client-id
CYLOGIN_CLIENT_SECRET=your-CYLOGIN-client-secret
# Your client credentials provided by CY Login.
CYLOGIN_SCOPE=openid cegg_profile your.scope
# Scopes requested from CY Login. 'openid' is required. Add additional scopes as needed.
CYLOGIN_REDIRECT_URI=https://localhost:44319/signin-oidc
# Redirect URI registered with CY Login. Must match exactly.
CYLOGIN_CODE_CHALLENGE_METHOD=S256
# Use S256 for PKCE challenge method.
CYLOGIN_POST_LOGOUR_REIDRECT_URI=https://localhost:44319/
# Where to redirect users after logout.DSF API Gateway environment variables
The following environment variables are used to configure the DSF API Gateway. The DSF API Gateway is used to send notifications to the NotificationEngine API.
DSF_API_GTW_CLIENT_ID=your-DSF-API-gateway-client-id
DSF_API_GTW_SECRET=your-DSF-API-gateway-secret
DSF_API_GTW_SERVICE_ID=your-DSF-API-gateway-service-id
# DSF Gateway credentials and registered service ID.
DSF_API_GTW_NOTIFICATION_API_URL=https://127.0.0.1/api/v1/NotificationEngine/simple-message
# URL for the NotificationEngine API.Service API environmental variables
The following environment variables are used to configure the services (they are referenced in the JSON config file):
# Submission endpoint (test service)
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_URL=http://localhost:3002/submission
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_CLIENT_KEY=12345678901234567890123456789000
TEST_SUBMISSION_API_SERVIVE_ID=123
TEST_SUBMISSION_DSF_GTW_KEY=12345678901234567890123456789000
# Eligibility checks (optional test APIs)
TEST_ELIGIBILITY_1_API_URL=http://localhost:3002/eligibility1
TEST_ELIGIBILITY_2_API_URL=http://localhost:3002/eligibility2🔒 Security note
- Always set a strong, random
SESSION_SECRETin your.envfile. Never commit secrets or credentials to version control. - Add
.gitignore&.npmignore: Ensure no real.env,server.key, or other sensitive files are published. - In production, ensure cookies are set with
secure,httpOnly, andsameSiteattributes to protect against common web vulnerabilities. - Make sure your server is running behind HTTPS in production.
- Regularly rotate secrets and credentials, and restrict access to your
.envand configuration files. - Validate user input to prevent injection attacks.
- Review and update your dependencies regularly to address security vulnerabilities.
Tip: This project enables CSRF protection and secure session cookies by default, but it is your responsibility to keep secrets and environment variables safe in production.
❓ Troubleshooting / FAQ
SSL certificate errors on local development
- Problem: Browser shows a warning or refuses to connect to
https://localhost:44319. - Solution: Make sure you have generated self-signed certificates as described in the installation guide. You may need to trust the certificate in your browser or OS.
Session not persisting / users logged out unexpectedly
- Problem: Users are logged out or session data is lost between requests.
- Solution: Ensure your
SESSION_SECRETis set in .env and is long and random. If running behind a proxy (like nginx), settrust proxyin your Express app.
CY Login authentication not working
- Problem: Users cannot log in or are redirected incorrectly.
- Solution: Double-check your CY Login client ID, secret, scope and redirect URIs in
.env. Make sure your app is accessible at the correct URL and port.
API requests fail with 401/403 errors
- Problem: Eligibility or submission API calls fail with authorization errors.
- Solution: Ensure the user's access token is being sent in the
Authorizationheader. Check that your API endpoint and credentials are correct. Check that the CY Login you have configured has the correct scope that the API endpoint requires.
Changes to JSON config not reflected
- Problem: Updates to your
/data/:siteId.jsonfile don’t show up in the app. - Solution: Restart the server after making changes to config files, as they are loaded at startup. If the problem persists, check your JSON file syntax and ensure it is valid. Also check if the definition of the elements is as defined in the govcy-frontend-renderer library.
Environment variables not loading
- Problem: The app fails to start or cannot find required configuration values.
- Solution: Make sure your
.envfile exists in the project root and is formatted correctly. Restart the server after making changes to .env.
Port already in use
- Problem: The server fails to start with an error like
EADDRINUSE: address already in use. - Solution: Another process is using the same port. Either stop the other process or change the
PORTvalue in your.envfile.
Cannot connect to CY Login or API endpoints
- Problem: The app cannot reach CY Login or your API endpoints.
- Solution: Check your network connection, firewall settings, and that the URLs in your
.envare correct and accessible from your environment.
🙏 Credits
- Cyprus Government Digital Services Factory (DSF) dsf-admin@dits.dmrid.gov.cy
- Cyprus Connecting Digital Services Team cds-support@dits.dmrid.gov.cy
💡 Developer notes
For local develoment checke the developer notes document.
📄 License
This project is released under the MIT License.
📬Contact
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to us at dsf-admin@dits.dmrid.gov.cy