EXPRESS.
JS
IN DETAILS
IMPORTANTS
node vs express, what is the real deal ?
what is express js ?
why express js ?
localhost, hostname, port number
Routing
Middleware
Request and Response
Route Parameters
HTTP Methods - get and post
Error Handling
Postman
NODE VS EXPRESS, WHAT IS THE REAL DEAL ?
Node is the main thing through which we can write the server code and how
server will react that also we can do using the help of express .
WHAT IS EXPRESS JS
Express is a Node js framework designed for building APIs, web applications
and cross-platform mobile apps.
Express is high performance, fast, unopinionated , and lightweight.
It is used as a server-side scripting language.
WHY EXPRESS JS
HTTP is difficult to use, express makes this easier
✅ Easy Routing
✅ Large Community
Reasons to use:
✅ Handles JSON & Forms
✅ Works with Templates
✅ REST API Ready
✅ Middleware Support
1. Hostname
The hostname is the name of a computer or server on a network
Example:
"www.example.com" is a hostname.
"localhost" is a special hostname referring to your own computer.
2. Localhost
localhost is a reserved hostname that points to the local computer.
It is commonly used for testing and development.
Example:
When you run a backend server on your own PC, it can be accessed via
http://localhost:3000 (3000 is a port).
3. Port
A port is a number (from 0 to 65535) used to identify a specific process
or service on a machine.
Example:
http://localhost:3000 → Port 3000 is used by your backend server.
Where to use which PORT Number ?
Port Number Common Use
React.js frontend or
3000 Express.js backend
5000 Backend APIs or Node
servers
8000 Django, Flask, or other
servers
Alternate HTTP for
8080 testing
🔁 Why Use Nodemon?
Nodemon is a developer tool for Node.js that automatically restarts your server
whenever you make changes to your code files.
Problem Without Nodemon:
When you're using plain Node.js, every time you make a change in your server
file (like server.js), you have to:
ctrl + c to stop the server
node server.js to start the server
1. Install it globally:
npm install -g nodemon
or locally as a dev dependency:
npm install --save-dev nodemon
2. Run your app with nodemon:
nodemon server.js
ROUTING
Routing is the process of defining how your server responds to different URL paths
(routes) that a client (like a browser) requests.
Examples:
/profile
/home
/contact
/profile/profile_details/jhsaasdggdsds/okoksdhashabchbd
//✅ PUT Method Example
// Import express app.put('/user/:id', (req, res) => {
const express = require('express'); const userId = req.params.id;
const app = express(); const updatedData = req.body;
✏️
console.log(` Updating user with ID ${userId}:`, updatedData);
// Middleware to handle JSON data 🔄
res.send(` User with ID ${userId} updated with data:
app.use(express.json()); ${JSON.stringify(updatedData)}`);
});
//✅ GET Method Example
//✅ DELETE Method Example
app.get('/welcome', (req, res) => {
👋
res.send(' Hello! This is a GET request.');
app.delete('/user/:id', (req, res) => {
const userId = req.params.id;
});
🗑️
console.log(` Deleting user with ID ${userId}`);
//✅ POST Method Example
❌
res.send(` User with ID ${userId} has been deleted.`);
});
app.post('/user', (req, res) => {
const userData = req.body; // Start the server
📦
console.log(' Data received from client (POST):', userData); const PORT = 5000;
✅
res.send(` User data received: ${JSON.stringify(userData)}`); app.listen(PORT, () => {
}); 🚀
console.log(` Server running at http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});
Without using Express Routing
const http = require('http');
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
if (req.url === '/') {
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
👋
res.end(' Hello! You are on the homepage.');
} else if (req.url === '/about') {
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
📘
res.end(' This is the About page.');
} else {
res.writeHead(404, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });
❌
res.end(' 404 Not Found');
}
});
const PORT = 5000;
server.listen(PORT, () => {
🚀
console.log(` Server running at http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});
WHAT IS MIDDLEWARE ?
Middleware functions are functions that have access to the request object(req),
the response object(res), and the next middleware function in the applications
request-response cycle.
(req, res, next) => { ... }
req: Incoming request object
res: Outgoing response object
next: Function that passes control to the next middleware
Types of Middleware:
1. ✅ Built-in Middleware
app.use(express.json()); // parses incoming JSON requests
2. ✅ Application-level Middleware
app.use((req, res, next) => {
📥
console.log(` Request to ${req.url}`);
next();
});
3. ✅ Router-level Middleware
const router = express.Router();
router.use((req, res, next) => {
🔗
console.log(' Router-level middleware');
next();
});
4. ✅ Error-handling Middleware
app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
❌
console.error(' Error:', err.message);
res.status(500).send('Something broke!');
});
5. ✅ Third-party Middleware
const cors = require('cors');
app.use(cors()); // allow cross-origin requests
Example: const express = require('express');
const app = express();
//✅ Custom Middleware
const logger = (req, res, next) => {
console.log(`${req.method} ${req.url}`);
next(); // continue to the next middleware or route
};
app.use(logger); // apply middleware to all routes
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
🏠
res.send(' Home Page');
});
app.get('/about', (req, res) => {
ℹ️
res.send(' About Page');
});
app.listen(5000, () => {
console.log('Server running on http://localhost:5000');
});
📩 Request (req)
A request is sent from the client to the server when the user:
Visits a webpage
Submits a form
Sends an API call
Request object contains
📤 Response (res)
A response is what the server sends back to the client.
🔹 Response object allows:
🔑 What Are Route Parameters?
Route Parameters are variables in your route URL that capture dynamic values from
the client.
Example:
http://localhost:5000/user/123
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.get('/user/:id', (req, res) => {
const userId = req.params.id; // Access route parameter
👤
res.send(` User ID is: ${userId}`);
});
app.listen(5000, () => {
🚀
console.log(' Server is running on http://localhost:5000');
});
Click here:👉 Express routing
Multiple Parameters are also possible:
app.get('/user/:userId/post/:postId', (req, res) => {
const { userId, postId } = req.params;
res.send(`User ID: ${userId}, Post ID: ${postId}`);
});
Error handling
Error handling is essential in any web application to gracefully deal with unexpected situations like:
Database connection failures
Invalid inputs
Missing routes
Server crashes
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
// Example route that throws an error
app.get('/error', (req, res) => {
🚨
throw new Error(' Something went wrong!');
});
//✅ Error Handling Middleware (should be after routes)
app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
❌
console.error(' Error caught by middleware:', err.message);
res.status(500).json({
success: false,
message: err.message || 'Internal Server Error',
});
});
// Start server
app.listen(5000, () => {
🚀
console.log(' Server is running on http://localhost:5000');
});
Postman
