Creating a website in Node.js using Express.js and EJS

Node.js is a powerful and popular platform for building server-side applications. One of the most popular frameworks for building web applications in Node.js is Express.js. With its simplicity and flexibility, Express.js allows developers to easily create robust web applications.

In addition to Express.js, EJS (Embedded JavaScript) is a popular templating engine that allows developers to generate HTML markup with plain JavaScript. This makes it easy to create dynamic web pages with Node.js.

So, how can you create a website in Node.js using Express.js and EJS? Here are the steps:

Step 1: Install Node.js and Express.js

Before getting started, make sure you have Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) installed on your machine. You can download and install Node.js from the official website: https://nodejs.org/. Once Node.js is installed, you can install Express.js using the following command:

npm install express

Step 2: Create a new Node.js project

Once Express.js is installed, create a new directory for your project and navigate to it in your terminal. Then, run the following command to initialize a new Node.js project:

npm init -y

Step 3: Install EJS

Next, install EJS using the following command:

npm install ejs

Step 4: Create a basic Express.js app

Create a new file, for example app.js, and build a basic Express.js app with the following code:


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

app.set('view engine', 'ejs');

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
res.render('index');
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
console.log('Server is running on port 3000');
});


Step 5: Create a view using EJS

Create a new directory called views and within it, create a file called index.ejs. This file will serve as the template for your homepage and can include dynamic content using EJS syntax. For example:

Welcome to my website

Step 6: Start the server

Finally, start the Express.js server with the following command:

node app.js

Now, navigate to http://localhost:3000 in your web browser and you should see your Node.js website in action!

With Express.js and EJS, creating a website in Node.js has never been easier. Whether you’re building a simple blog, an e-commerce site, or a complex web application, Express.js and EJS provide all the tools you need to create a powerful and dynamic website.