Getting started with Node.js and Express

date

Feb 6, 2025

slug

getting-started-with-node-js-and-express

status

Published

Introduction

Node.js has revolutionized backend development thanks to its event-driven architecture and speed. But developing applications from scratch can be tedious, and that's where Express.js comes in, a minimalist framework that simplifies building web servers and APIs. In this guide, you'll learn what Node with Express is, how to install it, and how to get started with your first project.

What is Node.js with Express?

Node.js: Server-side JavaScript runtime based on Chrome's V8 engine. Express.js: A lightweight and fast framework for Node.js that allows you to easily create servers and manage routes.

Installing Node.js and Express (Step by Step)

Step 1: Install Node.js

Download and install Node.js from nodejs.org.

Verify the installation with:

Step 2: Creating a project with Express

Start a new project:

Install Express:

How to get started with Express

Create a basic server

Create a server.js file

Run the server:

Once the command is executed, you can access it by going to http://localhost:3000

Now for the server to be constantly running, and to be updated when there are changes, we will do the following:

Now in the package.json, in the script section, we will add the development (dev) script to the following:

Now instead of using “node server.js” we can “npm run dev” and the server will run constantly and every change made to the code the server will restart to have the corresponding changes.

Conclusion

Express.js has become the most popular framework for developing web applications and APIs with Node.js thanks to its simplicity and efficiency. With just a few steps, you can set up a functional server, manage routes, and handle requests with ease.

While this post covers the basics to get started, Express has many more features you can explore, such as middleware's, authentication, database connection, and cloud deployment. Learning these tools will allow you to create more robust and scalable applications.

Now that you know the first steps, what project will you build with Express?