Scribd
Upload
7 views

Quick Introduction To NodeJS

This article introduces NodeJS, one of the most popular and powerful Javascript server frameworks. Hopefully after reading/following this, you will decide to explore further into its capabilities. Happy coding!

Uploaded by

madurangakannangara
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
7 views

Quick Introduction To NodeJS

This article introduces NodeJS, one of the most popular and powerful Javascript server frameworks. Hopefully after reading/following this, you will decide to explore further into its capabilities. Happy coding!

Uploaded by

madurangakannangara
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

a-quick-intro-to-nodejs

a-quick-intro-to-nodejs
Quick introduction to NodeJS
This article introduces NodeJS, one of the most popular and powerful Javascript server frameworks. Hopefully after
reading/following this, you will decide to explore further into its capabilities. Happy coding!

1. What is Node.js?
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that allows you to run JavaScript on the server side. It is
great for building scalable, event-driven applications, such as web servers, APIs, and real-time applications.

2. Install Node.js
Visit the Node.js website and download the LTS (Long Term Support) version.
After installation, verify by running:

node -v
npm -v

npm is Node's package manager, which helps install libraries and dependencies.

3. Create a Simple Web Server


1. Create a new folder for your project:

mkdir node-tutorial
cd node-tutorial

2. Initialize a new Node.js project:

npm init -y

This will create a package.json file that stores project settings and dependencies.

3. Create a simple web server:

Create a file called server.js :

// server.js
const http = require('http');

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {


res.statusCode = 200;
res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');
res.end('Hello World\n');
});

const PORT = 3000;


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

1/3
a-quick-intro-to-nodejs
4. Run the server:

node server.js

Visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser to see the "Hello World" message.

4. Using NPM Packages


Let’s use a package called express , a popular web framework for Node.js.

1. Install express:

npm install express

2. Update server.js :

const express = require('express');


const app = express();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {


res.send('Hello from Express!');
});

const PORT = 3000;


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

3. Run the server again:

node server.js

You should now see "Hello from Express!" at http://localhost:3000.

5. File Structure Best Practices


Organise your project like this for larger applications:

node-tutorial/
│
├── package.json
├── server.js
└── routes/
└── index.js
└── controllers/
└── userController.js

6. Nodemon for Auto-Restarting


To automatically restart the server when you change files, use nodemon :

1. Install globally:

2/3
a-quick-intro-to-nodejs
npm install -g nodemon

2. Run the server with nodemon:

nodemon server.js

7. Conclusion
You’ve set up a simple Node.js project with a web server and Express. From here, you can explore more advanced
features like working with databases (MongoDB, MySQL), middleware, and deploying applications.

Reference
https://maduranga.com/a-quick-intro-to-nodejs

3/3

You might also like