Learn Express.js | Lecture – 5: Working with slugs

In this lecture, we will learn how to work with slugs in Express.js. Slugs are a way to create SEO-friendly URLs by transforming a string into a URL-friendly format. This is often used in creating user-friendly and search engine optimized URLs for web applications.

What is a slug?

A slug is a URL-friendly version of a string that is typically derived from the title of a webpage or blog post. It is created by replacing spaces and special characters with dashes and converting the entire string to lowercase. For example, the title “Working with slugs in Express.js” would become “working-with-slugs-in-express-js” as its slug.

Using slugs in Express.js

Express.js provides a simple way to work with slugs using its built-in middleware functions. You can use the express-slugify library to automatically generate slugs from your title or input. This library makes it easy to create SEO-friendly URLs for your web application.

Here is an example of how you can use the express-slugify library in your Express.js application:


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

app.use(slugify());


Benefits of using slugs

Using slugs in your web application can have several benefits, including:

• Improved SEO: Slugs help search engines understand the content of your page and can improve its ranking in search results.
• User-friendly URLs: Slugs make it easier for users to understand and remember the URL of your webpage or blog post.
• Consistency: Slugs ensure that your URLs are consistent and standardized across your web application.

Conclusion

Working with slugs in Express.js is a great way to create SEO-friendly and user-friendly URLs for your web application. By using the express-slugify library, you can easily generate slugs from your titles or input, improving the search engine optimization and user experience of your website. Try implementing slugs in your next Express.js project and see the difference it makes!