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Node.js & Express.js Backend Development

Overview

Node.js allows you to run JavaScript on the server side, and Express.js is a framework for building web applications and APIs.

What You'll Learn

  • Node.js runtime and fundamentals
  • NPM (Node Package Manager)
  • Creating REST APIs with Express.js
  • Routing and middleware
  • Server-side rendering
  • MongoDB and Mongoose for databases
  • Authentication and authorization
  • Cookies and sessions

Key Topics

Node.js Fundamentals

  • Event-driven architecture
  • Modules and package management
  • File system operations
  • Asynchronous programming

Express.js Framework

  • Setting up an Express server
  • Routing and request/response handling
  • Middleware concepts
  • Error handling

Database Integration

  • MongoDB basics
  • Mongoose ODM
  • Schema design and validation
  • CRUD operations

Security & Authentication

  • User authentication
  • Password hashing
  • JWT tokens
  • Authorization and access control
  • Sessions and cookies

Getting Started

Basic Express.js server:

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

// Middleware
app.use(express.json());

// Routes
app.get('/api/hello', (req, res) => {
    res.json({ message: 'Hello from Express!' });
});

app.post('/api/users', (req, res) => {
    const user = req.body;
    res.status(201).json({ message: 'User created', user });
});

// Start server
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

Next Steps

Learn to build scalable APIs, work with databases, and implement proper authentication before moving to frontend development.