How to Build Your First RESTful API with Express.js

Hello HaWkers! Today, we're going to learn how to build a RESTful API using Express.js, one of the most popular libraries for Node.js.

What is a RESTful API?

A RESTful (Representational State Transfer) API is an API architecture that uses HTTP methods to create, read, update, and delete data. It is used to connect services and allow data communication between different systems.

What is Express.js?

Express.js is a minimalist library for Node.js that simplifies the development of web applications and APIs.

Step 1: Installing Express.js

To get started, you need to install Express.js. To do this, you can use the following command:

npm install express

Step 2: Creating an Express server

Now, we can create a new JavaScript file and import the Express:

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

Next, we can define a route to the root of our application:

app.get('/', (req, res) => {  res.send('Hello, World!');});

Lastly, we can make our server listen on port 3000:

app.listen(3000, () => {  console.log('Server running on port 3000');});

Step 3: Creating the RESTful API

To create the API, we can add routes for the GET, POST, PUT and DELETE methods. Here is an example of how you can do this:

app.get('/api/items', (req, res) => {  // Here you can return a list of items});app.post('/api/itens', (req, res) => {  // Here you can add a new item});app.put('/api/itens/:id', (req, res) => {  // Here you can update an existing item});app.delete('/api/itens/:id', (req, res) => {  // Here you can delete an item});

Conclusion

Ready! You've just created your first RESTful API with Express.js. With this knowledge, you can start building more complex applications and integrating them with other services.

To continue your learning about back-end development, check out the article on How to Create Your First Server with Node.js.

Until next time, HaWkers!