[WebDev][Node.js] Setting Up a Node.js Environment and Building a Server with Express.js

1. Setting Up Node.js in VSCode

---

1.1. Installing Node.js

Download and install the LTS version of Node.js from the official Node.js website.
After installation, open a terminal and verify that Node.js and npm are installed correctly:

node -v  # Check Node.js version
npm -v   # Check npm version

 

 

* For Linux users, you can install Node.js and npm using the following command:

sudo apt-get install nodejs npm -y

1.2. Setting Up Visual Studio Code

 

• Install Visual Studio Code (VSCode) if you haven't already.
• Enhance your development experience by installing useful extensions like:
  • Babel JavaScript
  • Auto Close Tag
  • Auto Rename Tag
  • Better Comments
  • Code Runner

(You can search for and install extensions based on your preference.)

---

728x90

반응형

2. Creating a Server with Express.js

---

2.1. Initializing a New Project

• Create a new project folder and open it in VSCode:

mkdir my-express-app
cd my-express-app

• Initialize a new Node.js project using npm:

npm init -y

 

 * This creates a package.json file, which manages project dependencies.

2.2. Installing Express.js and Setting Up a Basic Server

• Install Express.js:

npm install express

• Create a new file called server.js and add the following code:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const PORT = 3000;

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
    res.send('Hello, Node.js with Express!');
});

app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server is running on http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});

• Start the server:

node server.js

• Open your browser and go to http://localhost:3000. You should see the message: "Hello, Node.js with Express!"

 

Screen after accessing localhost following the execution of server.js.

 

---

3. Using Nodemon for Automatic Server Restart

---

During development, manually restarting the server after every change can be tedious. Nodemon automatically restarts the server whenever you modify the code.

3.1. Installing Nodemon as a Dev Dependency

npm install --save-dev nodemon

 

3.2. Updating package.json Scripts

Modify the scripts section in package.json:

"scripts": {
    "start": "node server.js",
    "dev": "nodemon server.js"
}

 

3.3 Running the Server in Development Mode

Start the server using Nodemon:

npm run dev

 

Now, whenever you make changes to your code, the server will restart automatically!