Express.js

Projected Time

4 hours, including lab exercise

Prerequisites

• How the Internet Works
• Node.js

Motivation

• Express.js is one part of the MERN web development stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js), we cover at Techtonica. Express.js allows you to quickly build a website served by Node.js.
• Express enables robust routing and improve performance.
• It is flexible as there are numerous modules available on npm which can be directly plugged into Express.

Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Explain the MVC framework
• Create a basic web app using Node.js for the server and Express.js as the MVC framework

Specific Things to Learn

• What Express.js is
• What middleware is
• How to code a very simple web app using Express.js

Materials

• Express.js slides

Lesson

• Read through lesson slides Express.js
• Video walkthrough of lesson slides Express.js

Common Mistakes / Misconceptions

• Express.js is a web framework; Node.js is a server
• Express.js code goes inside your app.js file

Independent Practice

Express.js lab exercise

Challenge

• Read more about Express middleware
• Add ‘morgan’ middleware to log each request

Check for Understanding

• Create a new app.js file and make the simplest possible Express server

Supplemental Materials

• Intro video series on Express.js
• Express.js Tutorial: Build RESTful APIs with Node.js & Express.js