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How do I create a simple REST API with Node.js and Express?

Asked on Oct 01, 2024

Answer

Creating a simple REST API with Node.js and Express involves setting up an Express server and defining routes that handle HTTP requests. Here's a basic example:
// Import the Express module
        const express = require('express');
        
        // Create an instance of an Express application
        const app = express();
        
        // Define a port for the server to listen on
        const PORT = 3000;
        
        // Middleware to parse JSON bodies
        app.use(express.json());
        
        // Define a simple GET route
        app.get('/api', (req, res) => {
            res.json({ message: 'Welcome to the API!' });
        });
        
        // Define a POST route
        app.post('/api/data', (req, res) => {
            const data = req.body;
            res.json({ receivedData: data });
        });
        
        // Start the server
        app.listen(PORT, () => {
            console.log(`Server is running on http://localhost:${PORT}`);
        });
Additional Comment:
  • This example uses Express to create a server that listens on port 3000.
  • The "app.use(express.json())" middleware is used to parse JSON request bodies.
  • There are two routes: a GET route at "/api" and a POST route at "/api/data".
  • The GET route responds with a welcome message, while the POST route echoes back the received JSON data.
  • To test this API, you can use tools like Postman or curl to send requests to "http://localhost:3000/api" and "http://localhost:3000/api/data".
✅ Answered with JavaScript best practices.
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