Introduction to Node/Express

Warmup

Using the internet:

• What is Node.js?
• What is Express?

What is Node?

• Open source
• Cross-platform
• JavaScript run-time environment
• for executing JavaScript code server-side
• built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine

What does this all mean?

What is Express?

• Fast
• Unopinionated
• Minimalist
• Web application framework
• for Node.js

What does this all mean? What are other examples of web application frameworks?

Install Express Generator

$ npm install express-generator -g
$ npm install nodemon -g

Express Generator CLI

• What options are available to you when you’re using the generator?

Create and Explore: New Express App

• express --view ejs --css sass --git secret-box
• Start the app
  • npm start OR nodemon bin/www
• Review the files that the Express generator creates
  • What does it seem like each file does?
  • Can you create a new route?
  • Can you create a new template and serve that from your new route?

Share

Parts of app.js

• Require outside resources
• Set configuration variables
• Tell app about middleware to use
  • Logging, cookies, Sass, etc.
  • Routing itself is middleware!
• Export the app

Routes

• Require express
• Set up the router
• Define routes
• Export the router

Views

• Hold view templates
• Can use multiple templating language

Other Parts of the App

• bin/www
• public
• views

Things to Ponder

• What do you like about Express so far?
• How does it compare to other tools you have used?