Using Express

As we've discussed, JavaScript in the backend is incredibly useful for creating web applications and harnessing the power of JavaScript on both the front- and back-end. One of the most fundamental tools for a server-side application that interacts with the frontend is a basic web server. In order to provide APIs, database access, and other functionality that is not designed to be handled by the browser, we first need to set up a piece of software to handle these interactions.

Express.js (or just Express) is a web application framework, considered the de facto web server of Node.js. It enjoys both high popularity and ease of use. Let's use it to build a full-blown web app.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter: ...

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