Node.js : Day 5

15 days Challenge

WHAT IS EXPRESS, AND WHY USE IT?

👉 Express is a minimal node.js framework, a higher level of abstraction;

👉 Express contains a very robust set of features: complex routing, easier handling of requests and responses, middleware, server-side rendering, etc.

👉 Express allows for rapid development of node.js applications: we don’t have to re-invent the wheel;

👉 Express makes it easier to organize our application into the MVC architecture.

Setting Up Express

Step 1. Initialize a node project

Before you can use Express, you need to initialize a Node.js project. This involves creating a package.json file where all project dependencies and metadata are stored.

Run the following command in your terminal to initialize the project:

$ npm init

Step 2. Install express

$ npm i express

Step 3. Writing our First Express Server

const express = require("express");

// creating an express server
const app = express();

// define a simple route with get request
app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.send("Hello From the server!!!");
});

// define a route with post request
app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.send("This is post request!!!.");
});


// started server and server is listening on port 3000
app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("App is running on port 3000");
});

Pros of Express

1. Minimal and Flexible: Express is lightweight and doesn’t force you into a specific way of coding.
2. Fast: Built for high performance and can handle many requests at once.
3. Large Ecosystem: Many ready-to-use libraries (middleware) to add features easily.
4. Routing: Easily define routes to handle different types of requests (GET, POST, etc.).
5. Asynchronous: Can handle many operations at once without blocking other tasks.
6. Scalable: Great for building large apps that can grow.
7. Template Support: Works with template engines like EJS for dynamic web pages.
8. Active Community: Lots of documentation and support from developers.

Cons of Express

1. Minimal Structure: No predefined way to organize big apps, can lead to inconsistent code.
2. No Built-In ORM: Doesn’t have a built-in tool for database interaction; you need a third-party tool.
3. Middleware Complexity: Managing many middleware functions can get tricky in big apps.
4. Callbacks: Uses callbacks, which can be hard to manage without promises or async/await.
5. Limited Built-In Features: Doesn’t offer as many out-of-the-box features as other frameworks.
6. No Official CLI: Unlike other frameworks, it doesn’t come with a built-in command-line tool to automate tasks.
7. Not Ideal for Real-Time: Express doesn’t handle real-time features as well as other tools like Socket.io.

The framework is used by many leading companies such as Uber, Netflix, Airbnb, and IBM, making it a trusted choice for both small-scale applications and large enterprise systems.

Thanks…