Express JS Tutorial | Template Engine

Express.js is a powerful Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for building web applications. One of the key features of Express.js is its support for different template engines, which allow developers to dynamically generate HTML content with ease. In this tutorial, we will explore the use of template engines in Express.js and how they can be integrated into web applications.

What is a Template Engine?

A template engine is a tool that allows developers to create HTML templates with dynamic content. This means that developers can define a template for the structure of a web page and then populate it with data from the server before sending it to the client. Template engines make it easy to create dynamic, data-driven web pages without having to manually concatenate strings of HTML and JavaScript.

Using Template Engines in Express.js

Express.js provides support for a wide range of template engines, including popular options like EJS, Pug (formerly known as Jade), Handlebars, and Mustache. To use a template engine in an Express.js application, you need to install the necessary package using npm and then configure the engine in your application.

Example Using EJS

Let’s take a look at how to use the EJS template engine in an Express.js application. First, you need to install the EJS package:

npm install ejs

Next, you need to configure the EJS template engine in your Express app. You can do this by setting the ‘view engine’ property in your app configuration:

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

Now you can create EJS template files with the extension ‘.ejs’ and render them in your routes using the ‘res.render’ method.

Conclusion

Template engines are a powerful feature of Express.js that make it easy to create dynamic, data-driven web applications. By using a template engine, you can separate your HTML structure from your data and easily generate HTML content on the server side. This can lead to cleaner code, easier maintenance, and faster development. We encourage you to explore the different template engines available for Express.js and find the one that best suits your needs.