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Suhas Palani
Suhas Palani

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Back-End Development Basics

  • Topic: "Getting Started with Node.js and Express"
  • Description: Basics of server-side development with Node.js and Express.

Content:

1. Introduction to Node.js

  • What is Node.js: Explain that Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine.
  • Why use Node.js: Discuss the benefits such as non-blocking, event-driven architecture, and its popularity for backend services.

2. Setting Up Node.js

  • Installation: Guide on how to install Node.js and NPM (Node Package Manager).
  • Verify Installation: Show how to verify the installation using node -v and npm -v commands.

3. Basic Node.js Server

  • Creating a Simple Server:

    const http = require('http');
    
    const hostname = '127.0.0.1';
    const port = 3000;
    
    const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
      res.statusCode = 200;
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');
      res.end('Hello World\n');
    });
    
    server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
      console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
    });
    
  • Explanation:

    • require('http'): Import the HTTP module.
    • http.createServer(): Create an HTTP server.
    • server.listen(): Bind the server to a port and IP address.

4. Introduction to Express.js

  • What is Express.js: Explain that Express is a fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for Node.js.
  • Installation:

    npm install express
    
  • Basic Express Server:

    const express = require('express');
    const app = express();
    const port = 3000;
    
    app.get('/', (req, res) => {
      res.send('Hello World!');
    });
    
    app.listen(port, () => {
      console.log(`Example app listening at http://localhost:${port}`);
    });
    
  • Explanation:

    • require('express'): Import the Express module.
    • app.get(): Define a route handler for GET requests.
    • app.listen(): Bind the application to a port and start listening for connections.

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