How to Create a REST API with Node.js

APIs may be found nearly anywhere. They enable software to connect with other software, both within and outside a system, making software more scalable and reusable.

Many internet services now provide APIs that anybody can access. These APIs make it simple for other developers to integrate features like social media logins, credit card payments, and behavior tracking into their apps. The most commonly used standard for these APIs is representational state transfer (REST).

Why did you choose to build a Node.js REST API? Although numerous options exist, like ASP.NET Core, Laravel (PHP), and Bottle (Python), JavaScript is still the most popular language among professional developers.

So, in this essay, we'll focus on creating a simple but secure REST API using:

Node.js: If you're reading this site, you're presumably already familiar with the topic.
Express.js: This library simplifies creating web servers and is frequently used with Node.JS.
Mongoose: This allows us to link our API to a MongoDB database.

If you're following this tutorial, you should be familiar with the terminal (or command prompt).

What is REST API?

A REST API is a method of designing how different software systems communicate with one another via the Internet. It follows the principles of the HTTP protocol, the same protocol your web browser uses to communicate with websites. REST APIs use a certain method of organizing data and transmitting requests and responses. They adhere to concepts such as consistent interaction, no information storage about prior interactions, and data manipulation using standard operations such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE.

Prerequisites:

1. Node.js and npm: Your system includes Node.js, which includes npm (Node Package Manager). You can easily download and install Node.js from it’s official website.

2. Text Editor or IDE: Select your preferred code editor for writing and managing your code. Popular options include Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or WebStorm.

3. Basic JavaScript Knowledge: Understanding JavaScript is important for Node.js development. Variables, functions, arrays, and objects will all be useful concepts.

Having these tools and knowledge in place will set you up for success as you embark on building your REST API with Node.js.

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a free and flexible platform for running JavaScript programs. It is compatible with every operating system, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. Instead of running JavaScript only in web browsers, Node.js allows you to execute it on servers. It's like a tool that makes your JavaScript programs work outside websites.

Why should you use Node.js and Express to create a REST API?

You should think about working with Node.js and Express to create your REST API for the following reasons:

Using just one language, JavaScript, simplifies client and server development.
Node.js and Express can handle many requests simultaneously, making your API fast and efficient.
Express comes with handy tools like middleware and routing, which speed up API development.
A big community of developers is working on Node.js and Express, so you'll find lots of support and resources.

Once you build your user management API with these tools, you'll experience these benefits firsthand. Let's begin!

Create a REST API with Node.js

Let’s start creating API with easy steps.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Project

First, let's create a folder for your project and set it up with npm.

Open your terminal or command prompt.
Type the following commands:

mkdir my-rest-api
cd my-rest-api
npm init -y

This will create a new directory called "my-rest-api" and set up a package.json file with your project's default settings.

Step 2: Installing Dependencies

To get our REST API working, we'll need a few packages:

Express: This framework will be used to build our API.
Body-parser: It helps us parse incoming request bodies.
Nodemon (Optional): It automatically restarts the server during development, saving time.

You can install these packages using npm. Here's how:

npm install express body-parser nodemon --save

Once installed, you have to create an Express server.

Step 3: How to Create an Express Server

Let's build an Express app and set up a basic server.

Create a new JavaScript file (let's name it app.js for this example) in your project folder.

In this file, you'll set up your Express app.

// Import required modules
const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');

// Create an instance of Express
const app = express();

// Use body-parser middleware to parse JSON requests
app.use(bodyParser.json());

// Define a port for your server to listen on
const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;

// Start the server
app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Server is running on port ${port}`);
});

We've made a basic Express app, added a body-parser tool to handle JSON data, and started a server on port 3000.

Folder Structure

Your project folder structure might look like this:

your-project-folder/

|_ node_modules/
|_ app.js
|_ package.json
|_ package-lock.json (automatically generated)

node_modules/: This folder contains all the dependencies installed for your project.

app.js: This is your main Express application file.

package.json: This file contains metadata about your project and lists its dependencies.

package-lock.json: This file is automatically generated and helps ensure consistent dependencies installs.

Step 4: Run Your Express Server

To run your Express server, you can execute your app.js file using Node.js. Navigate to your project folder in the command line and run:

node app.js

This will start your Express server, and you should see a message in the console indicating that the server is running on the specified port.

Step 5: Define the Routes

In a REST API, routes are directions for different actions (like getting, posting, updating, or deleting data) using HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE.

Let's make a simple example with a GET request.

app.get('/api/demo’, (req, res) => {
 res.json({ message: 'Good Morning!' });
});

This code sets up a route for /api/demo. When you send a GET request to this route, it responds with a JSON message saying, "Good Morning!"

Step 6: Execute your API

To run your API using Node.js, you can simply use the command npm start. However, during development, it's convenient to use Nodemon. It automatically restarts your server whenever you make changes to your code.

npm start

After running npm start, you can access http://localhost:3000/api/demo to see the "Good Morning!" message.

Step 7: Set Up More Routes

To create a useful API, you'll want to define more routes and include CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations for managing your resources. Here's an example of a simple "To-Do List" API.

let todos = [];
app.get('/api/todos', (req, res) => {
res.json(todos);
});
app.post('/api/todos', (req, res) => {
const newTodo = req.body;
todos.push(newTodo);
res.status(201).json(newTodo);
});

// You can use PUT and DELETE to update and delete tasks.

In this example, we've set up routes to list and create to-do items. You can expand upon this by implementing the PUT and DELETE methods for updating and deleting tasks.

Also Read: How to Perform Simple CRUD with PHP and MySQL

Essence

So this way, you can easily create a REST API with Node.js and Express. Just follow every single step and create your first API for your web application. Additionally, we teach you how to add and remove elements from a database in the last step. Read our other technology blogs for more detailed information to sharpen your skills.

Elightwalk believes in spreading knowledge within the community to help everyone succeed in their programming journey. Because of our Node.js developers' experience, we have previously provided top-notch Node.js development services. Feel free to contact us with your questions or further assistance with your Node.js projects. We are here to help you with your programming projects at every stage.

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Jayram Prajapati

Full Stack Developer

Jayram Prajapati brings expertise and innovation to every project he takes on. His collaborative communication style, coupled with a receptiveness to new ideas, consistently leads to successful project outcomes.

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