Node.js Building a REST API

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a simple REST API with Node.js and Express. A REST API allows your application to communicate with other systems and handle HTTP requests to get, post, update, or delete data.

1. Setting Up the Project

Note: If you have already set up the project and installed the required dependencies in a previous tutorial, you can skip this step and proceed with the next part of the tutorial.

First, set up a new Node.js project and install the necessary dependencies:

mkdir rest-api
cd rest-api
npm init -y
npm install express

This creates a project directory, initializes a new Node.js project, and installs Express, a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework.

2. Creating the API

Create a file called `app.js` to define your REST API routes:

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

// Sample data
let users = [
    { id: 1, name: 'John Doe' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Jane Doe' }
];

// GET route to fetch all users
app.get('/users', (req, res) => {
    res.json(users);
});

// POST route to add a new user
app.post('/users', (req, res) => {
    const user = req.body;  // Assume that body parsing middleware is used
    users.push(user);
    res.status(201).json(user);
});

// PUT route to update a user
app.put('/users/:id', (req, res) => {
    const user = users.find(u => u.id == req.params.id);
    if (user) {
        user.name = req.body.name;
        res.json(user);
    } else {
        res.status(404).send('User not found');
    }
});

// DELETE route to remove a user
app.delete('/users/:id', (req, res) => {
    const index = users.findIndex(u => u.id == req.params.id);
    if (index !== -1) {
        users.splice(index, 1);
        res.status(204).send();
    } else {
        res.status(404).send('User not found');
    }
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
    console.log('Server is running on http://localhost:3000');
});

This code defines GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE routes for managing users. The `app.get()` route fetches the users, `app.post()` adds a new user, `app.put()` updates an existing user, and `app.delete()` removes a user.

3. Running the API

Start the server by running the following command in your terminal:

node app.js

Once the server is running, you can test your API using a tool like Postman or by sending HTTP requests from your frontend application.

4. Conclusion

Now you've built a simple REST API using Node.js and Express. This API can handle basic CRUD operations, and you can expand it by adding more routes and features based on your application needs.

Note: We aim to make learning easier by sharing top-quality tutorials, but please remember that tutorials may not be 100% accurate, as occasional mistakes can happen. Once you've mastered the language, we highly recommend consulting the official documentation to stay updated with the latest changes. If you spot any errors, please feel free to report them to help us improve.

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