Node.js & Express.js Complete Guide

Introduction

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime for building fast and scalable backend applications. Express.js is a lightweight framework for creating APIs and server-side apps. This tutorial covers setup, routing, middleware, and building RESTful APIs.

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Step 1: Setup Node.js Project

Initialize a Node.js project:

mkdir node-express-app
cd node-express-app
npm init -y
npm install express

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Step 2: Create a Basic Server

Create index.js with a simple Express server:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const PORT = 3000;

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello World from Node.js & Express!');
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});

Run with:

node index.js

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Step 3: Routing

Handle different routes:

app.get('/about', (req, res) => {
  res.send('About Page');
});

app.post('/submit', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Form submitted!');
});

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Step 4: Middleware

Use middleware to parse JSON and handle requests:

app.use(express.json()); // Parse JSON bodies

app.use((req, res, next) => {
  console.log(`${req.method} ${req.url}`);
  next();
});

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Step 5: REST API Example

Create a simple API for tasks:

let tasks = [];

app.get('/tasks', (req, res) => res.json(tasks));
app.post('/tasks', (req, res) => {
  const task = req.body;
  tasks.push(task);
  res.status(201).json(task);
});
app.delete('/tasks/:id', (req, res) => {
  const { id } = req.params;
  tasks = tasks.filter((t, index) => index != id);
  res.status(204).send();
});

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Step 6: Project Example

• Build a Task Manager API
• Connect with frontend using fetch or Axios
• Add validation, error handling, and middleware for logging

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Step 7: Next Steps

• Explore Express Router for modular routes
• Learn MongoDB or PostgreSQL integration
• Implement JWT authentication for secure APIs

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Conclusion

By mastering Node.js and Express.js, you can build full-featured backend applications and APIs that integrate seamlessly with frontend frameworks.

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