Let’s Build a Node Rest API

In this tutorial, we will learn how to build a REST API using Node.js, Express, and SQLite.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js – Download and install Node.js from https://nodejs.org
• Express – Install Express using the following command: npm install express
• SQLite – Install SQLite using the following command: npm install sqlite3

Setting up the Project

First, create a new directory for your project:

mkdir node-rest-api
	cd node-rest-api

Then, create a new file named server.js:

touch server.js

Open server.js in your preferred text editor and add the following code:

const express = require('express');
	const sqlite3 = require('sqlite3').verbose();
	
	const app = express();
	const port = 3000;
	
	// Configure SQLite database connection
	const database = new sqlite3.Database(':memory:');
	
	// Create a table for the API
	database.run("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, name TEXT, age INTEGER)");
	
	app.get('/users', (req, res) => {
		// Retrieve all users from the database
		database.all('SELECT * FROM users', (err, rows) => {
			if(err) {
				console.error(err);
				res.status(500).send('Internal Server Error');
			} else {
				res.send(rows);
			}
		});
	});
	
	app.listen(port, () => {
		console.log(`Server is running on port ${port}`);
	});

This code sets up an Express server, creates an in-memory SQLite database, and defines a route to retrieve all users from the database.

Testing the API

To test the API, start the server by running the following command in your terminal:

node server.js

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000/users. You should see an array of all users stored in the database.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully built a Node.js REST API using Express and SQLite. This API can be further expanded to include additional routes and database operations.

Feel free to explore more about Node.js, Express, and SQLite to expand your knowledge and build more advanced APIs.