With the emergence of numerous popular frameworks such as bootstrap, Angular JS, and others, the modern online application has come a long way. These frameworks are all built on top of the well-known JavaScript framework.
However, there was a hole in designing server-based apps, which is where learn Node.js came into play.
Although Node.js is built on the JavaScript framework, it is a backend development framework used to create server-side applications. Throughout the lesson, we'll look at the Node.js tutorial for beginners in-depth and see how we can use it to build server-based applications.
What is Node.js
Node.js is a cross-platform, open-source runtime environment for developing server-side web applications. Applications created with Node.js are written in JavaScript and can operate on various operating systems.
Node.js is a real-time online application framework that uses an event-driven architecture and a non-blocking Input/Output API to improve throughput and scalability.
The frameworks available for web development for a long time were all based on a stateless approach. A stateless model is one in which the data generated in one session (such as user settings and events) is not saved for use in a subsequent session with that user.
It took a lot of effort to keep track of a user's session information between requests. However, with Node.js, web applications may now have real-time two-way connections, where the client and the server can initiate communication and freely share data.
Why Use Node.js
In the following chapters, we'll look at the actual value of Node.js, but first, let's look at what makes this framework so popular. Most applications are built using a stateless request-response framework over time. In these kinds of apps, it's up to the developer to write the correct code to keep the user's web session alive as they work with the system.
You may now work in real-time and have two-way communication with Node.js web applications. The state is preserved, and the communication can be initiated by either the client or the server.
Features of Node.js
Let's take a look at some of Node.js' most essential features:
1. Concurrent request processing is aided by asynchronous event-driven IO, which is undoubtedly Node.js' most compelling feature. This functionality means that whenever Node receives a request for an Input/Output operation, it will do the action in the background while continuing to process other requests.
This differs from other programming languages in several ways. The code below shows a simple example of this:
var http = require('http');
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'});
res.end('Hello World!');
}).listen(8080);
Explanation:
1. The above code demonstrates how we create a server in Node JS
2. This (req, res) shows the request and response commands.
3. The writeHead() feature of the 'http' module sends a response header to the request.
4. A three-digit HTTP status code, such as 202, is used.
5. The response headers are the last argument headers.
6. The second input can optionally be a human-readable statusMessage.
7. Content-Type shows the type of content of the document.
8. res.end shows the output in the Node server.
2. The V8 JavaScript Runtime engine, which Google Chrome also utilizes, is used by Node. In addition, Node features a wrapper for the JavaScript engine that speeds up the runtime engine and, as a result, the processing of requests within Node.
3. Concurrent request handling: Another essential feature of Node is its ability to manage several connections with very little overhead in a single process.
4. Node JS Uses Javascript Library: This is yet another crucial feature of Node.js development. Because many of the development community is already familiar with javascript, developing with Node.js becomes easier.
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It allows developers to run JavaScript on the server side, making it a popular choice for building scalable and fast web applications. If you're new to Node.js, this tutorial will guide you through the basics of starting with Node.js.
Here's What You Will Learn in this Node.js Tutorial for Beginners:
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to execute JavaScript code on the server side. It was first released in 2009 and has since gained widespread popularity among developers for its ability to build scalable, high-performance web applications.
Node.js is popular for several reasons, including:
1. It's open-source and free to use
2. It's built on the V8 JavaScript engine, which is known for its speed and performance
3. It has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its development
4. It supports a wide range of modules and packages, making it easy to add functionality to your application
5. It's cross-platform, meaning it can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
Installing Node.js on Your Machine
Before developing with Node.js, you need to install it on your machine. The installation process is straightforward and can be done in simple steps.
To install Node.js on your machine, follow these steps:
1. Go to the official Node.js website (https://nodejs.org/en/) and download your operating system's latest version of Node.js.
2. Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation.
3. Once the installation is complete, open your terminal or command prompt and type "node -v" to verify that Node.js is installed correctly.
Understanding Node.js Modules and Packages
Node.js modules are reusable pieces of code that can be used in your application. They are similar to libraries in other programming languages and can perform various tasks such as reading and writing files, making HTTP requests, and more.
Node.js packages, on the other hand, Node.js packages are collections of modules designed to work together to provide specific functionality. Packages can be installed using the npm (Node Package Manager) command-line tool.
To install a package using npm, run the following command:
npm install package_name
For example, to install the Express.js package, you would run the following command:
npm install express
Creating Your First Node.js Application
To create your first Node.js application, you'll need to create a new file with a .js extension and add some code. Here's a simple example of a Node.js application that outputs "Hello World" to the console:
javascript
1. // Load the http module
const http = require('http');
2. // Create a web server
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/plain'});
res.end('Hello World\n');
}).listen(8080);
console.log('Server running at http://localhost:8080/');
3. Save the above code in a file called "server.js" and run it using the following command:
node server.js
This will start the server, and you can access it by opening your web browser and navigating to http://localhost:8080/. You should see "Hello World" displayed on the page.
Using Node.js for Web Development
Node.js can be used for web development in a variety of ways. One popular way is to use it with the Express.js framework, which provides features for building web applications.
Express.js is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides robust features for web and mobile applications. It offers several built-in middleware functions, such as routing, templating, and static file serving, making it easy to build web applications.
To use Express.js in your Node.js application, you need to install it using npm. Here's an example of how to create a simple web application using Express.js:
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
// Define a route
app.get('/', function (req, res) {
res.send('Hello World!');
});
// Start the server
app.listen(3000, function () {
console.log('Example app listening on port 3000!');
});
Save the above code in a file called "app.js" and run it using the following command:
node app.js
This will start the server, and you can access it by opening your web browser and navigating to http://localhost:3000/. You should see "Hello World!" displayed on the page.
Connecting Node.js with MongoDB
MongoDB is a popular NoSQL database that is frequently used with Node.js. To connect Node.js with MongoDB, you must install the MongoDB driver for Node.js using npm.
Here's an example of how to connect Node.js with MongoDB and perform basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations:
const MongoClient = require('mongodb').MongoClient;
const uri = "mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster-url>/<database>?retryWrites=true&w=majority";
const client = new MongoClient(uri, { useNewUrlParser: true, useUnifiedTopology: true });
client.connect(err => {
const collection = client.db("test").collection("users");
// Insert a document
collection.insertOne({ name: "John Doe", age: 30 }, function(err, res) {
console.log("Document inserted");
});
// Find documents
collection.find({}).toArray(function(err, docs) {
console.log(docs);
});
// Update a document
collection.updateOne({ name: "John Doe" }, { $set: { age: 40 }}, function(err, res) {
console.log("Document updated");
});
// Delete a document
collection.deleteOne({ name: "John Doe" }, function(err, res) {
console.log("Document deleted");
});
client.close();
});
In the above example, replace <username>, <password>, <cluster-url>, and <database> with your MongoDB credentials and database information.
Deploying your Node.js Application to the Cloud
Once you have developed your Node.js application, you can deploy it to the cloud to be accessed anywhere in the world. Many cloud providers support Node.js, such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
To deploy your Node.js application to the cloud, you'll need to follow these general steps:
Create an account with a cloud provider and create a new project.
Install any necessary tools and SDKs for the cloud provider.
Set up your environment variables and configuration files.
Deploy your Node.js application to the cloud using the provider's tools and services.
Each cloud provider has its instructions and best practices for deploying Node.js applications, so refer to their documentation for specific instructions.
In this Node.js tutorial for beginners, we covered the basics of getting started with Node.js, including installing Node.js, understanding modules and packages, creating a simple application, using Node.js for web development with Express.js, connecting Node.js with MongoDB, and deploying your application to the cloud. Node.js is a powerful and versatile tool for building modern web applications, and we hope this tutorial has provided a solid foundation for you to begin your journey with Node.js.
Applications of Node JS
1. Real-Time Chatbots: Used in designing real-time chatbots
2. Game Servers: This is the framework for you if you need a fast and high-performance server that can handle thousands of requests at once.
3. Suitable for Collaborative Workplaces: This is ideal for document management setups. Multiple persons will submit their documents and make frequent modifications by checking out and checking in records in a document management environment. Because the event loop in Node.js can be triggered anytime documents are modified in a document-managed climate, it's ideal for these setups.
4. Advertisement Servers: You may receive thousands of requests to extract adverts from a central server, and Node.js is an excellent foundation for this.
5. Making Streaming Servers: Another promising application for Node is multimedia streaming servers, where clients make requests to fetch various multimedia files from the server.
When you require a lot of parallelisms but not a lot of devoted CPU time, Node.js is an intelligent choice. Because Node.js is based on javascript, it works best when creating client-side applications that use the same framework. In the coming tutorials, we discuss the benefits of Node.js.
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