Create REST APIs Using Node.js

Introduction

REST APIs allow communication between frontend and backend using HTTP methods. This tutorial teaches you how to create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) resources using Node.js and Express.js.

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Step 1: Project Setup

Initialize your project:

mkdir node-rest-api
cd node-rest-api
npm init -y
npm install express

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Step 2: Basic Server

Create index.js:

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

app.use(express.json());

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

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Step 3: Create a Sample Resource

Let's manage a list of books:

let books = [
  { id: 1, title: 'Node.js Basics', author: 'Sahasransu Satpathy' }
];

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Step 4: REST API Routes

GET all books

app.get('/books', (req, res) => {
  res.json(books);
});

GET book by ID

app.get('/books/:id', (req, res) => {
  const book = books.find(b => b.id == req.params.id);
  if(book) res.json(book);
  else res.status(404).send('Book not found');
});

POST new book

app.post('/books', (req, res) => {
  const book = { id: books.length + 1, ...req.body };
  books.push(book);
  res.status(201).json(book);
});

PUT update book

app.put('/books/:id', (req, res) => {
  const index = books.findIndex(b => b.id == req.params.id);
  if(index !== -1) {
    books[index] = { id: books[index].id, ...req.body };
    res.json(books[index]);
  } else res.status(404).send('Book not found');
});

DELETE a book

app.delete('/books/:id', (req, res) => {
  books = books.filter(b => b.id != req.params.id);
  res.status(204).send();
});

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Step 5: Testing the API

• Use Postman, Insomnia, or curl to test CRUD operations.
• Verify GET, POST, PUT, DELETE requests work as expected.

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Step 6: Next Steps

• Connect API with a database (MongoDB, PostgreSQL)
• Add validation and error handling
• Implement authentication and authorization

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Conclusion

You now have a fully functional REST API using Node.js and Express.js. This forms the foundation for building scalable backend applications and connecting with frontend frameworks.

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