<!DOCTYPE html>
Rest API in Express JS
Express is a popular web application framework for Node.js that provides a robust set of features for building web applications and APIs. In this tutorial, we will explore how to create a Rest API using Express JS.
Setting up Express JS
To get started with Express JS, you need to first install it using npm. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:
npm install express
Once you have installed Express, you can create a new Express application by creating a new JavaScript file and requiring the Express module:
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
Creating a Rest API
Now that you have set up your Express application, you can create routes to handle different HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. These routes will define the functionality of your Rest API.
Here is an example of creating a simple Rest API endpoint that returns a list of users:
app.get('/api/users', (req, res) => {
res.json({ users: ['John', 'Jane', 'Doe'] });
});
This route will respond to GET requests at the ‘/api/users’ endpoint and return a JSON response with a list of users.
Running the Express Server
Finally, you can start your Express server by listening on a specific port. You can do this by adding the following code to your JavaScript file:
const PORT = 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});
Now you can run your Express application by executing the JavaScript file using node:
node app.js
Your Rest API will now be running on port 3000, and you can access it using tools like Postman or your web browser.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we have learned how to create a Rest API using Express JS. Express provides a powerful framework for building APIs with Node.js, and it is commonly used in MERN stack applications. By following this tutorial, you can create your own Rest APIs with ease using Express JS.
