This README provides an overview of REST class concepts in Node.js, covering key aspects and practices for building RESTful APIs in Node.js.
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications. In Node.js, RESTful APIs are commonly built to enable communication between clients and servers using HTTP methods.
Express.js is a minimalist web application framework for Node.js, which provides robust routing, middleware, and other features needed to build RESTful APIs efficiently.
Routing in Express.js defines how an application responds to client requests to particular endpoints (URLs) and HTTP methods.
Middleware functions in Express.js are functions that have access to the request and response objects, and the next middleware function in the application’s request-response cycle. Middleware functions can perform tasks such as logging, authentication, and error handling.
RESTful APIs typically utilize standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc., to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on resources.
JSON is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is commonly used for exchanging data between a client and a server in RESTful APIs.
CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) are the basic operations that a RESTful API performs on resources. Each HTTP method corresponds to a CRUD operation.
To get started with building RESTful APIs in Node.js, follow these steps:
- Install Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) if you haven't already.
- Create a new Node.js project directory.
- Initialize the project using
npm init
command and follow the prompts. - Install Express.js and any other necessary dependencies using npm.
- Create your Express.js application and define routes, middleware, and logic for handling API requests.
- Test your API using tools like Postman or curl.
- Deploy your Node.js application to a hosting platform or server.
Here's a simple example demonstrating how to create a basic RESTful API using Express.js:
// Insert example code here