Express.js Basics: Creating a Simple Server

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If you're here, it's probably because you've heard about this cool thing called Express.js and you want to make sense of it. Well, you're in the right place! Express.js is a fast, unopinionated, and minimalist web framework for Node.js. It's like the Swiss Army knife of server-side web development in the JavaScript realm.

Express.js - The Backstage Hero

Imagine you're at a rock concert. The band is your client-side JavaScript, jumping around the stage and engaging with the audience - your users. But behind the scenes, there's a crew working hard to make sure everything goes smoothly. That's your server-side JavaScript, powered by Express.js. It handles the hard work and lets the band take the spotlight.

Starting with Express.js

Starting with Express.js is like learning to ride a bicycle. It might seem tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be pedaling through web development in no time.

To kickstart your journey, you'll need Node.js installed on your machine. If you don't have it, hop over to the official Node.js website to download and install it.

Once Node.js is installed, you can install Express.js using npm (Node Package Manager) which comes bundled with Node.js. Open your terminal or command prompt and type the following command to install Express.js:

npm install express

Congratulations, you've just installed Express.js!

Creating a Simple Server

Now that Express.js is installed, let's create a simple server that sends a response saying 'Hello, world!' when someone visits our site. Here's how you can do it:

// Import Express.js module
const express = require("express");

// Create a new Express.js application
const app = express();

// Define the response for the root (/) URL
app.get("/", function(req, res) {
    res.send("Hello, world!");
});

// Start the server on port 3000
app.listen(3000, function() {
    console.log("Server is running on http://localhost:3000");
});

In this script, we first import the Express.js module. We then create a new Express.js application and define a route for the root URL ("/"). When someone visits this URL, our server responds with 'Hello, world!'. Finally, we tell our server to start listening on port 3000.

That's it! You've created your first server with Express.js. You are now ready to rock the web development world!

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